The Girl In The Mask
by My life is a h0t mess
Summary: When a young girl, with pure white hair and incredible power, is kicked out of her home and has no where to turn, the Teen Titans are there to help her. Even though there are minor bumps in the road, the relationship between Aria and the Titans promises to be a strong one, that will last a long time. Read about friendship, love, pride, and strength in The Girl In The Mask.
1. Teen Titans, Plus One

It was a nice, quiet afternoon in Jump City. A group of kids were playing football in the park, birds were singing, and friends were laughing among themselves. No one would have known that there was a robbery taking place, if not for the ear splitting scream coming from the Jump City Bank.

There were four robbers, each of them armed to the teeth with blades. The lead thief demanded for the money in the vault.

"Open the safe!" His rough voice sounded. "Or else, someone's going to get hurt." The female bank teller was trembling, but frozen with fear. The leader held up a machete. "Looks like it's going to be you, sweetheart." He took a step towards her, but was swept away by a sudden gust of wind.

"Looks like you were wrong about that one." A girl in a mask said. She was dressed in skinny, acid-washed blue and white jeans, that had holes in the knees. She was wearing bright blue sneakers, with bone-white laces. Her shirt was a long-sleeved, white blouse, that was lacy at the shoulder blades. Her mask covered just her eyes and stopped at the bridge of her nose and had a braid of gold outlining it. She had pearl-white hair, that stopped at her waist.

"Who are you?" One of the henchmen thieves demanded. The girl smirked and turned to him.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She replied. She made a gesture, then the man was pinned him to the wall with another gust of air. After he was subdued, the mysterious girl rushed to the teller. "Are you alright?" She asked. The teller nodded.

"Yes, but there are two more robbers. I think they went to the vault." She pointed in the direction of the safe, which was just around the corner.

"Okay. Call the police if you haven't already hit the silent alarm." The heroine directed and hurried to the back of the bank.

"Hurry up!" A second minion said in a hushed and quickened tone. "We need to get as much loot as we can!"

"Good idea." The young girl said. "You could use the money to hire a lawyer after I haul your sorry butts to jail." The one that hadn't spoken lunged at her, but she grabbed his wrist and punched him in the stomach. He regained his balance and tried to hit her once more, but he was thwarted, yet again. She eventually decided to get rid of him more quickly, so she punched him in the nose and he fell to the ground.

"You're going to pay for that!" The henchman that had previously spoken promised. He didn't get very far, before she quickly disposed of him by kicking him in the groin.

"I hoped that would be a challenge." She sounded disappointed. She began to put the money back in the vault, after she propped the unconscious robbers against the wall. She was holding a bag of money in her hands, when an explosive disc blew her away. "Gah!" She was slammed against a wall, disoriented. When the smoke cleared, she saw who was in the same room as her.

Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven; all members of the infamous Teen Titans. Robin had more of his discs in his right hand, Starfire's eyes were glowing green, Beast Boy was in wolf form, Raven had a desk encased in her energy, and Cyborg had his laser cannon out.

"You picked the wrong city to mess with." Robin said intimidatingly. "It's bad enough that you're stealing money from my city, but you attacked the civilians, too? Big mistake." The white-haired girl glanced at the two motionless bodies on the floor, then back at the super heroes.

"N-No. You don't understand..." She began to stand up and Robin tensed his stance. "_They_ were the ones robbing the place." She pointed at the fiends. "Not me." Cyborg scoffed.

"Likely story." He said and charged with a raised fist. The girl gasped and ducked out of the way, just in time. She flipped across the room, only to be confronted by a girl with pink hair. Starfire thew a few star-bolts at her. The masked hero held up her hands in a defensive manner, but was still blown away by the force. She landed on her side near a window.

"Make this easy on yourself and give up now, so you don't get hurt." Raven offered in a monotone voice. She got up and shook her head.

"I didn't do anything! Talk to the bank teller!" She pleaded, but it was futile and the Titans didn't believe her. She started to back away from them and bumped into the glass. She glanced over her shoulder.

"Don't even think about it." Robin warned. She whimpered and shut her eyes tight. "What are you doing?" The spiky haired one pushed. She opened her eyes, which were filled with intent and determination.

"You won't believe my innocence? Fine." She cracked her neck. "But I will not go down for a crime I did not commit. I didn't want to have to hurt any of you, seeing as you're all my idols, but I must do what is necessary."

"Wait a sec." Beast Boy said. "We're your idols?" The girl in the white mask closed her eyes again and was slowly encased in a ball of air. She opened her eyes and ran through the group of five. Robin threw more of his discs at her, but they were only successful ion hitting the ball she was encased in. Beast Boy got into ape form and tried to smash his way into the force field, but failed.

In a matter of seconds, the girl in the ball was out of the bank, leaving the Teen Titans dizzy and lightheaded. She dismissed the ball and ran as fast as she could. She eventually found herself four blocks away from the bank, sweating and out of breath. Her panting was so loud, she didn't hear when she was approached by a tall figure.

"Hey." It said. The tired girl snapped her head up and got in a fighting stance. Cyborg took a step away from her. "Chill, girl. I know you didn't do it." He held up his hands in a defensive way. "We talked to the bank teller and she confirmed you story." The girl relaxed and slid down the wall, still breathing heavily.

"Well, if you would ask questions first and shoot later, we wouldn't be in this situation." She said bitterly. Cyborg pursed his lips. "Sorry. It's just that, I don't like fighting people I actually like." She glanced and the tall being before her.

"Yeah. We really should be the ones apologizing." Cyborg agreed. He took out his communicator. "Cyborg to Titans; I found her. Report to my location." He put the small yellow and black device back in his pocket.

In a matter of minutes, the other Titans arrived. The hero dressed in white had finished panting and was now leaning against a building, waiting for them with Cyborg. Robin, being the leader, was the fist to speak.

"I, on behalf of the Teen Titans, sincerely apologize." He said humbly. "We didn't realize that _you _were the hero, not the enemy. It was a bad call, not getting the facts straight and that's on me. So if you're mad at anyone, let it be me, not my team." His voice was noble and meaningful. The nameless girl took a few steps towards him, until she was directly in front of him. Every one expected her to attack, but instead, she stuck out her hand.

"That's all I wanted to hear. Consider yourselves forgiven." She said with a huge grin. Robin smiled and shook her hand. She chuckled. "And I'm not really a hero." She put air quotes around 'hero'. "I just... wanted to help. That's all." She put her hand on the back of her neck.

"Well, for someone who just wanted to help, you did a great job at it." Raven complimented.

"Yeah." Beast Boy chimed in. "The teller told us all about how you knocked out the two guys without breaking a sweat! That's awesome!"

"So I'm guessing your power is directing the flow of air currents and bending them to your will?" Cyborg asked for confirmation. The girl chuckled again and nodded. "Sweet."

"Please, what is you name?" Starfire asked politely. The girl's eyes widened, but then relaxed and she smiled.

"My name... is Aria." Aria looked at the group, seeking approval. "But, you can call me-"

"A!" She was interrupted by a deep, aggravated voice that was a bit hostile. "Get over here!" The group of six looked behind Cyborg and saw a man, wearing a tank-top and tattered jeans, with his left arm sleeved with tattoos. He also had black hair and combat boots on. "Didn't you hear me? Get over here!"

Aria smiled. "Excuse me, guys." She hurried over to the man and he stopped walking, just as she stopped before him. "Hi, Donovan! You won't believe what happened! I-" She was interrupted again, when the man called Donovan grabbed the collar of her shirt.

"I don't care what happened." He growled. "All I want to know is why the hell you left without permission. You have chores and last time I checked," He lifted her off the ground. "You aren't even allowed to step out of the house." The Titan exchanged looks of worry.

"I-I'm sorry, Donovan. I was listening to the police scanner and there was a robbery and I thought I could-" He slammed her onto the brick wall and she whimpered in pain. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry isn't going to cover it anymore. You've screwed up too many times, A, and there's only one more thing I can do to make sure you learn." He raised his free hand, which was balled into a fist. Aria shut her eyes tight as Donovan prepared for the wind up. He was just about to swing, when he was knocked to the ground.

Aria was caught, just before she hit the ground. She opened her eyes and saw Robin looking down at her. She looked for Donovan and found him, face down on the pavement. Panic surged through every part of her body.

"Are you okay?" The other masked hero asked with concern. "Are you hurt?" He pressed. Aria looked at him again and scrambled to get out of the safety of him arms. When she was free of his grip, she rushed to the man lying on the pavement.

"Donovan!" She rolled him over on his back. He had a small cut on his face. "I'm so sorry! Please! This isn't my fault! I am so sorry, I-" He slapped her across the face and she fell back. She was holding the side of her face as he stood up and towered over her. He pointed a single finger at her.

"Don't even bother coming home." He said and walked away from her. Aria recovered and stood to chase after him. She was right behind him when she spoke.

"You don't have to do that! Please, I-" He slapped her again and she fell back for a second time. She rubbed her cheek, which was pink at this point, and tried to find the man that assaulted her, but he was gone. She slowly rose, trembling and wrapping herself in her arms.

"I'm sorry." Robin approached her. "I didn't know. I just didn't want him to hurt you." She turned to him and let a tear roll down the side of her face. She opened her mouth, but couldn't form words. She just looked at the ground and let the tears flow. Robin pulled her her for a hug and he wrapped his arms around her. "You can stay with us, at the Titans Tower." He offered and she nodded into his shoulder.

"We should go home now." Raven said. "It's going to get dark pretty soon." Cyborg nodded in agreement. Robin slowly pulled away. He looked at the young, crying girl before him and she looked at him. They held each other's gazes, until Aria tore her gaze and walked over to the other four. Robin rubbed his neck as a form of guilt.

"Um, can you guys lead the way?" She asked softly, but loud enough for everyone to hear her clearly. "I've seen it, but I don't really know how to get there." Starfire nodded. She offered her hand, which Aria took, and she soared into the sky, taking her to her knew home.

"I messed up, didn't I?" Robin asked his three remaining teammates.

"Kinda, dude." Beat Boy agreed, then phased into a hawk and flew home. Robin groaned.

"Don't listen to him, Robin. You didn't know." Raven tried to comfort him. "You protected her. Just imagine all the other things she went through, living with..._ him_. You probably saved her life." Robin nodded and walked towards the T-Car, which Cyborg had summoned during their conversation. Raven gave an exasperated sigh and flew home, to meet with the others.

"Whoa." Aria said in astonishment when she stepped into the living room of the Titans Tower. "This is... whoa." Beast Boy chuckled at her. She walked around the huge, black, C-shaped couch that wrapped around an equally huge table. The glided her fingers across the upholstery and felt the fabric. Beast Boy watched her study the room in silence.

As she walked around, Beast Boy was called to exit the room.

"I'll be right back." He promised and left the room. He met his teammates in the hallway. "What's up, guys?" He asked them.

"Aria needs to sleep in one of the rooms." Cyborg told him. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, duh." The green one said. "Which room is she staying in?" Everyone shifted their weight.

"Terra's room." Starfire said cautiously. All eyes were on him.

"Oh, I get it. You all think I would be upset if Aria slept in Terra's room and you want to know if I'm okay with it, right?" Everyone nodded. Beast Boy sighed. "Look, it's not like I can ever be done with Terra, but she _is _in the past and Aria is in the present. She needs what Terra didn't want." He looked at the ground as he spoke.

"So... It's okay if she sleeps in her room then?" Robin asked and Beast Boy nodded. Robin stood up straight. "Alright, then. We should take her there." Everyone nodded and they walked into the living room to see Aria playing with a ball of air, about the size of her hand, while sitting on the couch.

"Hi, guys." She said, not taking her eyes off of the ball- literally. "What's up?"

"It is getting late and we thought we should show you to your room." Starfire explained. The ball vanished and Aria snapped her attention to the five heroes standing before her.

"My..._ room_? I get a room? To... myself?" She asked, standing up. All of them nodded and she cracked a smile. "Sweet."

They led her upstairs, where they passed multiple rooms that were labeled 'CYBORG', 'ROBIN', 'RAVEN', 'STARFIRE', 'BEAST BOY', until they reached the end of the hall, where a room with no label was. Cyborg grinned and opened the door slowly. Aria gasped when she saw the interior of her room.

The ceiling was black, but had shiny specks, which resembled stars. The walls looked like desert sunsets, with shade of orange and purple. The closet door was a huge mirror. There was a white desk with books, paper, pens, pencils, and colored markers already there. The room also contained a dresser that had the necessary hygiene products a young girl needs. There was a balcony there, too.

"Oh my gosh." She said as she slowly stepped in. "This is incredible!" She said, giggling. Everyone smiled, but Beast Boy's was a little forced. He didn't think he would be this uneasy when he saw Terra's room again. "I can't thank you guys enough." She went on.

"It's the least we could do." Robin said. "Get some rest. One of us will wake you in the morning." She nodded and Robin closed the door.

"That went well. Did it not?" Starfire was smiling hugely. This was an opportunity for her to make a new friend. She yawned. "I am going to bed." She waved to them all and floated to her room.

"I'll be the one to wake her up in the morning." Beast Boy offered. "Unless anyone else wants to." The rest of them shook their heads. "Alright, then." Beast Boy strode to his room, which was right next door. He went inside and tried to sleep, along with the others.

* * *

**Jazz**- I know, I know. It's different from my other story.

**Raven**- Really? I hadn't noticed.

**Robin**- There's no need for that, Raven.

**Cyborg**- Can I do the disclaimer? Pretty please, with waffles on top?

**Jazz**- Go for it, dude!

**Cyborg**- BOOYAH! Jazz doesn't own anything from the Teen Titans. I feel accomplished.

**Beast Boy**- I bet you do, buddy. I bet you do.

**Aria**- Can I be in the disclaimer, too?

**Everyone**- No!

**Aria**- Why not?

**Jazz**- Because you're an OC and I don't like it when my OCs are in disclaimers.

**Aria**- But Aurora-

**Jazz**- 'BUT AURORA' NOTHING! THAT WAS A DIFFERENT SITUATION! *Ahem* Excuse that outburst. Enjoy the story!


	2. Business

Beast Boy woke up in the morning, with a strange feeling. He didn't know what to call it, but he wasn't sure if he liked it.

He groaned and sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. He glanced at his clock, that read 6:49. He needed to wake Aria up at 7:00. He shrugged at himself and did his morning routine. He walked to his bathroom to wash his face and style his hair. He picked out his lucky outfit (which was the same as all the other ones, but held some sort of significance) and walked over to Aria's room.

He quietly opened the door and peeked in to see Aria, sound asleep and softly snoring. He chuckled and walked over to her. He sat on the edge of her bed and looked around the room.

'Terra.' He thought. He was thinking about his last date with the blonde girl. They were at the fair and they were the only ones there. Then, suddenly, there were flashbacks of Slade, confessing everything about Terra's betrayal to him. Anger, hatred, sadness. All of these emotions were coming back to him. He clenched his teeth, then sighed. Aria stirred.

"Good morning." Beast Boy said blandly. "Time to wake up, Aria." She moaned as she was stretching. She popped all of her knuckles and sat up, mask still in place. Her hair was a little messy, but at least it wasn't a rat's nest, like Starfire's on a bad day.

"Hey, Beast Boy." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?" She lifted the covers off of her and stood so she could stretch some more.

"Around 7:00." He said, still sitting. He watched her stretch and touch her toes; his eyes wandered a bit and landed on places that they shouldn't land on. He couldn't stop staring. Aria laughed when she noticed him ogling.

"Enjoying yourself, there, BB?" She mused. He tore his gaze and blushed. "Don't be embarrassed. I'm flattered, really. Could you give me a few minutes to get ready and I'll meet you in the living room, okay?" He nodded, too flushed to even speak and he fled the room. Aria smile and shook her head. "Boys..."

"Yo, BB! You, me, Play Station, after breakfast." Cyborg beckoned when Beast Boy walked into the living room. The green boy nodded, accepting the challenge and sealing his fate. Raven was reading a book when he walked in and she sensed that his energy was slightly off. She looked up from her book to look at him. She saw the color still in his cheeks.

"What happened to you?" She asked, eyes back on her book. The three other Titans examined Beast Boy, as well.

"Um, nothing?" He replied. It sounded more like a question. He put his hands behind his head and strolled over to the kitchen. Robin was cooking bacon and eggs and tofu bacon and eggs for Beast Boy. Cyborg was making waffles. Starfire was watching the boys cook.

"Did you wake up Aria?" Robin asked. Beast Boy opened his mouth to respond, but the girl in question walked in the room before he could say anything.

"Good morning, all." She said in a calm voice. She glanced at BB who was looking at her and she winked at him. He flushed all over again. Raven watched them closely. "Hello, Raven." Aria said as she walked over to her. She sat across from her. "What are you reading?"

"The Passing Hours." She replied. Aria sighed pleasantly.

"I love that book." She said. "The plot is so gripping." Raven's eyes widened.

"You... read dark literature?" She asked in surprise. "I thought I was that only one." Aria shook her head.

"Nope. I love the stuff. It's really entertaining. I've read the second book, too." Aria said. "I actually read whatever I can get my hands on."

"I'm rereading this one for fun." Raven lowered her book so it wasn't in her face. "Do... you reread books, too?" Aria nodded. Raven made a small smile, but then raised her book and started reading again. Aria didn't bother her again, for she was wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"Alright!" Cyborg cheered. He was holding a lot of plates and set them all on the table, so it was like a buffet. "Breakfast... is served!" Starfire sat at the table,in between Robin and Aria. Beast Boy sat in the only available seat, next to Aria. Cyborg sat at the head of the table. "Dig in!"

They all ate in peace, having small talk and conversation. Robin talked about the most recent episode of one of his teen drama series. Starfire told a story from her childhood back on Tamaran. Cyborg talked about sports and the T-Car. Raven, Beast Boy and Aria didn't really speak unless they were spoken to.

"Okay." Cyborg said when everyone finished eating. "Cone on, BB. I've got a score to settle with you and a high score to beat!" Beast Boy chuckled and dashed to his spot on the couch. Everyone, but Cyborg, shook their heads. Aria started to collect plates and she placed them in the sink.

She pulled up her sleeves and turned on the water. She started scrubbing the dishes, lost in her own little world. She was so in-depth with her thoughts, she wasn't aware of the person who approached her.

"Do did you sleep last night?" Starfire's voice asked, genuinely curious. "Well, I hope." Aria grinned.

"It was a lovely night's sleep. Thank you, Starfire." She responded as she was placing the wet plates on the drying wrack. "I want to thank you, again, for letting me stay here." Aria dried her hands and looked at the strange alien before her.

"It is quite alright. I think you and I shall be great friends." The red haired girl said optimistically. Aria giggled and nodded. They walked to the couch together, so they could watch the video game smack-down. Starfire sat next to Robin, as Aria stood behind the couch.

'Friends.' Aria remembered the word and knew that she would cherish it forever. 'She wants to be _my _friend. Could she ever possibly want me on the team, too?' She shook her head at her foolish dream. 'Because that would happen...' She thought sarcastically to herself.

"Aria?" Robin's voice pulled her from her daydream. "Did you hear me?" Aria glanced around the room and saw ten eyes on her.

"Um, heh, could you repeat the question?" She said awkwardly, feeling her cheeks heat up. Robin chuckled lightly.

"I was asking you if you wanted to train with us tomorrow. I'd really like to see the full extent of your power, if that's alright with you." He looked into her eyes, waiting for a reply.

"I..." She started to say. She nodded quickly and smiled. "I would love to join your training session tomorrow." There was tension in the room that was automatically released as she said those words. "But, I was wondering if it would okay for me to step out later." Robin tilted his head slightly to the left.

"Yeah, it's fine. Where are you going?" The masked boy asked. Aria inhaled deeply before responding.

"I have unfinished business..." Was her simple reply. Robin wasn't sure what she had meant by that, but he was sure it wasn't good. Everyone returned their attention back to the T.V.

A few hours had passed, and the skies were dark (after Aria had requested to leave) when she departed from the Titan's Tower, promising to come back later. Everyone's eyes landed on Robin. They had the same bad feeling as he did.

"Are we tailing her?" Cyborg asked, a few minutes after Aria left. Robin nodded. "I'll get the car."

After about twenty minutes of scouting, the team had no luck in finding the girl with the snow-white hair. They were almost ready to give up the search, when shouts were audible from around a corner.

"I told you to not bother coming home!" A familiar voice boomed. "And you have the nerve to show your face to me? You should be shamed!" The voice belonged to Donovan, the abusive land-lord. "I let you live with me and Catrine and this is how you repay me? By skipping out on chores and wasting my time, trying to save the rat-hole of a city?"

"Shut your mouth, Donovan." Aria's voice commanded. "The only reason you're standing here, is because I needed you. I needed a roof over my head. You were nothing more than a pillar and now that the Titans have taken me in, you're a waste of space, time, and energy." Her voice was menacing and aggressive. The team of five huddled in closer. Ready to hold someone back.

"You're going to pay for that one!" Donovan raised his fist, but Aria caught it. "Gah!" He yelped in pain and came to his knees. Aria was bending his wrist back, with ease. She was clearly holding back a lot of power.

"Not yet, I won't." She growled at him. She released his hand and grabbed him by the throat. She held him in the air, just as he did to her the previous day. "Before I do, I want you to know how it feels to be the weak one!" She threw him across the street, where he made a rough landing. "What it feels like, to not be able to fight back!" Aria's voice was growing louder and more fierce.

"Please! Have mercy on me!" Donovan pleaded, trying to crawl away from her. She scoffed at him.

"How many times did I ask you to stop!?" She grabbed his ankle and flung him down the road. "How many times did I beg for forgiveness after I messed up or made a mistake!? How many times, Donovan!?" She ran at full speed to him, where she held him by the throat, yet again. "Why won't you answer me, Donovan!?" She was about to punch him in the face, when an arm held her back.

"Stop this." Starfire pleaded. "Please, friend." Aria's hard expression softened and she turned to see Starfire's eyes filled with concern.

"Friend." Aria repeated the word. She looked back at the man in her grasp. She realized how easy it would have been to take his life. The man was sniffling. She looked at the ground and dropped Donovan. Cyborg check him out, to be sure there were no major injuries, but there were none present.

"This was your business?" Raven asked. Aria did't respond. Not with a sound, not with a gesture. "He isn't even worth your time." Aria held up her head and looked at her.

"Tell me that when you've been through what I've been through." Is what she said. She looked at the man she had attacked and sighed. "I could have killed him. I could have killed him with a simple flick of the wrist, but instead, I was going to let him live his life, knowing how much of a monster he is." She balled her hands into fists. "If I _were _to kill him, I'd be the monster."

"In the story between you two," Beast Boy said. "He would be the big, bad wolf."

"Now, the question is," Robin added. "Are you going to be the girl who walked away, or the man who murders him for the bad he's done?" Aria stared at him for a long time before answering.

"I guess we won't know, until the story is completed." She said through bared teeth. "I think it would be wise to go home." Everyone stared, before eventually nodding. They all went home, where the tension was very thick. They weren't about to let Aria's incident slip.

* * *

**Jazz**- Aha! Cliff hanger! Or is it? I'm not good at this stuff...

**Beast Boy**- I think it's a cliff hanger, but what do I know? Let's let the readers decide.

**Cyborg**- Nice idea. Jazz would really appreciate reviews.

**Robin**- And she wants to thank all the people who already have and are following her story, too.

**Raven**- Yeah. All of you people out there have made her dreams come true. Starfire, mind doing the disclaimer?

**Starfire**- Eek! It's what I have been wanting ever since Jazz began to write this story! Jazz does not own anything from Teen Titans.

**Robin**- Nice one, Star!

**Jazz**- Enjoy the story! (Oh, and sorry it took so long. I've been busy.)


	3. Riot Act

When the group of six returned to the Titans Tower, Aria was ready for any lecture or disciplinary acts of punishment. She knew that there would be consequences to her actions and she accepted that fact. She was fully prepared to explain herself, if she was given the chance.

"Start talking." Robin demanded when the team walked into the living room. "What would possess you to attack a helpless man, with no means of beating you?" Aria stopped her walk to the couch and turned to look at the leader.

"Helpless? Let me tell you about helpless, Robin." She took a step towards him. "Helpless is not being able to fight back, even though you can. Helpless is depending on someone who doesn't give a shit about you. Helpless? You don't know the meaning of the word." Aria had her hands in fists.

"I understand." Cyborg said. Everyone looked at him. "I'm part robot. People pointed, called me names, laughed, and even ran away from me in fear. The people who were rude to me? I could have easily done away with them, but that would only prove that I'm as harsh on the inside as I am on the outside. I understand what you're feeling. Maybe not exactly, but I can imagine." Aria looked down.

"I'm sorry, Cyborg. I... I didn't realize." She apologized and the half-man, half-robot nodded. A few moments of silence passed them, when Raven got a look on her face. An idea had flew her way.

"Aria." Raven said, breaking the silence. "If you have trouble dealing with your emotions, you can always come and meditate with me. I have more experience with things like that than anyone. Plus, anything you want to stay between us, will. My door is always open. Figuratively, of course; I'd like it if you'd knock." Aria was stunned.

"Yeah," Robin said, following Raven up. "And if you ever need to vent out your anger, you can always spar with me. It's good to have a controlled environment when you vent." Robin smiled at her. Aria's eyes moved back and forth between the two heroes before her.

"Why do you want to help me so badly?" She asked quietly, but loud enough for it to reach everyone's eardrums. "I... I thought you were all mad at me."

"Because," Beast Boy said, speaking up. "We made a promise to you and we intend on keeping it." He said proudly and stuck up his thumb.

"Yes," Starfire said. "And because you are our friend, Aria." Aria's eyes grew wide at the word. Tears of joy formed at the corner of her eyes.

"I... Thank you! Thank you all so much!" The girl with white hair said. She covered her mouth to contain her sobs of happiness. Beast Boy chuckled and gave her a warm hug, which she returned.

"Aw, group hug time!" Cyborg cheered and ran to hug the two already embracing. Robin and Starfire laughed and joined them. Raven stayed where she was.

"Yeah, hugging isn't my thing." She said in a monotone voice.

"Don't worry! You're here in spirit!" Beast Boy said, optimistically. They all pulled away to reveal a smiling Aria with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Well, since it's way to early to go to bed," Cyborg said and leaped onto the couch. "Movie night?" He offered and everyone nodded.

"Let's watch an action movie!" Robin said and he high fived Starfire.

"Action it is." Cyborg said and popped in 'Taken'. He sat on the end on the couch, with Aria to his right, Beast Boy next to her, then Robin, Starfire and Raven. "I love this movie." The robot said as it began.

After a movie marathon, that included 'Taken', 'Taken 2' and a rented copy of 'The Expendables', Aria fell asleep on Beast Boy's shoulder. He chuckled as he moved hair out of her face.

"I think we should take Aria's lead and go to bed." Raven said. "Good night." She exited the living room without another word.

"Good night?" Cyborg said, taking the DVD out of it's player. He yawned. "Yeah, I need to recharge. Night, guys." He waved and went to his room.

"I'll take Aria to bed." Beast Boy said, picking up with sleeping girl bridal-style. Her head was resting on his chest and he blushed a little.

"Yes, and I will take Robin to bed. Sweet dreams." Starfire said, picking Robin up in the same fashion. She flew away, the green one chuckled and turned off the lights.

He walked to the end of the hall, giving verbal commands to the door. "Open" he would say and it would listen. He placed Aria carefully on her bed and pulled the covers over her. She nestled into her pillows and slightly moaned in comfort.

"Good night, Aria." He said to her. He didn't leave right after that, though. He watched her sleep. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, as a result of her breathing. He looked at her mask, which was placed perfectly on her face. "What do you look like?" He asked quietly. He glanced over his shoulders and leaned into her face. He raised his hand to the corner of her mask.

"Stop." Aria's voice said. Beast Boy jumped and retracted. Aria's eyes were open.

"I, uh... Sorry?" Beast Boy nervously said. She sat up straight, to where she was about six inches from his face.

"Why do you think I have this mask, BB?" She asked in a calm tone. The boy in question didn't answer and kept his eyes glued to the ground. "I wear this mask because," She began, picking up Beast Boy's chin and gently pulling his face in her direction until they made eye contact. "I don't want people to know what I look like." She said simply.

"I'm sorry." He repeated and she patted his cheek.

"No worries, dude." She smiled at him. "Are you going to wake me up again tomorrow?" Beast Boy nodded and she chuckled. "Cool. Good night, Beast Boy." She rubbed his head and lied down.

"G-Good night." Beast Boy stuttered and rushed out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Aria leaped out of bed. She flipped on a lamp, that was next to her mirror, and examined her face. She sighed in relief.

"Okay. He didn't see it. Great." She turned off the lamp and went back into her bed. "I'm training with them tomorrow, aren't I?" She smiled, closed her eyes and drifted off into a sound and sweet sleep.

The next morning, Beast Boy woke up, tangled in his sheets. He pulled the bedding off of him and jumped down from the top bunk of his bed. His clock read 6:41 and he groaned. He put on somewhat clean shirt and pants, then went to his bathroom to wash his face and comb his hair. When he was finished, it was 6:59 and time to wake up Aria.

He walked next door and quietly opened the door. He saw Aria, right where he left her, sleeping soundly on her bed. She shifted in her sleep and Beast Boy chuckled. He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Wakey, wakey, tofu eggs and bakey." He sang. Aria's eyes fluttered open and she smiled. "Good morning, sleeping beauty." She giggled.

"Hm, what a nice way to wake up." She sat up and stretched. "Are we still training together today?" She asked and Beast Boy nodded. "Sweet. Thanks for the wake up, I'll see you down stairs in a few." The green one nodded again and left her alone to prepare.

"Alright, she's awake and excited for training." Beast Boy informed his teammates when he walked into the living room. "I can't wait to see what's in store."

"I wouldn't be too sure." Raven said, with her nose in a book. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow and Raven answered his thoughts. "Do you remember how she attacked Donovan? She did it so... easily. She could have done so much damage, but she restrained herself. If you thought what she did to that monster was bad, I'd hate to see the look on your face when she unleashes her full power." Beast Boy gulped.

"You don't know that." Robin said from the couch. "None of us do. The only way to find out if what you're saying is true, is to either ask or see it happen. Until that happens, we can't judge her."

"I wasn't judging her." The purple cloaked one said.

"Sounded like it to me." Beast Boy mumbled and Raven threw him a dirty look. He shrugged it off and went to make tofu breakfast.

A few minutes passed, where no one spoke. It wasn't an awkward silence. Everyone was just lost in their own world and wanted to be left alone. It was a comfortable silence, actually. Aria walked in and didn't say a word, sensing that it would be best to remain quiet.

"Morning." Cyborg said to her. Her hair was completely straight and flowed perfectly when she turned to meet his gaze.

"Good morning, Cyborg." She smiled.

'A morning person? Give me a break.' Beast boy thought. He would seriously like to sleep until noon, rather then wake up and get things done. Morning people usually disgusted him.

"How did you sleep?" Starfire asked, looking away from her baby named Silkie. Aria nodded and chuckled.

"I slept very well, thank you, Star. What time is training going to start?" She asked and there was a change in the atmosphere. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. It's not that. I just have a few questions before we begin your training." Raven said, putting down her book and walking to Aria. "Can you control your powers? Are they dangerous to the people of this city? will we have to hold you back if you lose control?" Aria blinked and looked between the five people before her. She sighed.

"I have... some... control over my powers, but I highly doubt I could hurt anyone in the city. If I ever _really_ lost control..." She paused and took a deep breath. "I doubt any of you could hold me back." Starfire gasped, but Aria held up her hand. "However, Raven, there is something you can do. I've heard of spells that can seal away my more dangerous powers. I've tried to perform them on myself, but..." Her voice trailed off as she traced her mask.

"But you can't perform spell on yourself. It takes a lot of energy to do that." Raven finished for her. "We can do it now, if you want. The sooner, the better." Aria thought, then nodded.

"If you think it will keep everyone safe, then I'm all for it." Aria agreed. Raven nodded and motioned for her to follow as she walked away. Aria looked at Beast Boy with worried eyes, but they faded into a small and forced smile. She followed Raven to her room.

"Do you think that will really be necessary?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, if she held back when she was fighting with Donovan, why can't we trust her to hold back any other time?" Robin shook his head.

"We just don't know what could happen, BB. If a situation occurs where she loses her temper, she could potentially destroy the whole city. Better safe, then sorry." Robin said.

"But-"

"You heard what she said." Cyborg chimed in. "We wouldn't be able to hold her back. It's for the best." Beast Boy tightened his fists, but relaxed and angrily sighed.

"It will be alright." Starfire assured him as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Raven is very good at these things and she knows what she is doing. Everything is going to be okay." Beast Boy nodded, not fully convinced.

Back in Raven's room, she had all the components she needed for the spell. Aria sat in the center of a circle of black ink with swirling designs all around her. Raven stood behind a podium, that had a spell book on it. Directly in front of the podium sat a silver gauntlet, awaiting for the components to be gathered inside of it.

"Are you ready? Once we start, there's no going back." Raven warned and Aria simply nodded, waiting for it to begin. "Alright." Raven took a deep breath and waved her hands over the book. "Harux, Ventium, Mortum!" She chanted and threw purple powder into the gauntlet. Green lights shot up from the rim of the circle. Raven threw in a black powder and the lights turned red. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She said her famous words and the light crept it's way to Aria.

"Gah!" Aria yelped in pain as the lights reached the center of her forehead. Raven was controlling the lights that made their way into Aria's mind. The girl with white hair thrashed and, expecting as much, only managed to get so far with the chains on her wrists. "It burns!" She wailed. Raven couldn't stop. They were too far.

"Signatorum!" Raven yelled and the lights pulled away, then slowly vanished. Aria fell to the ground, disoriented, but not unconscious. Raven had sweat on her brow and was panting. "It's finished. You're powers are diminished so they won't seriously hurt someone. Your physical strength is at a safe level, to where you won't hurt yourself, either."

"Good..." Aria sighed and slowly sat up. Raven hurried over to her and unlocked her chains. Aria rubbed her wrists and smiled at the girl before her. "Thank you, Raven... so much." Raven nodded and helped her to her feet.

"Are you still able to train?" Raven asked and Aria nodded.

"All I need to do is eat breakfast and I should be good." Aria stood on her own, not wanting any help. She wanted to prove that she had good stamina, which she did. "Let's go." She said with a smile. She felt like a completely different person.

They made their way back to where the food was being prepared and found four worried faces.

"Are you okay, Aria?" Beast Boy asked as soon as she stepped into the room. "We heard you scream." He examined her and she lightly chuckled.

"I'm fine. Raven made it so I won't seriously hurt anyone or go on a rampage." She looked at her savior. "I seriously owe you one."

"how about I get some food in you and we call it even?" Raven asked in a, what was sure to be jokingly, but didn't quite come out right, monotone voice. Aria nodded and ate the food that was placed in front of her.

"Dig in!" Cyborg said and she did. She couldn't eat fast enough. She was very excited to train with them.

"Done!" Aria said, after chugging some orange juice. "Can we go, now?" She asked Robin who chuckled and nodded. "Great!" The team made their way to the training course.

* * *

**Jazz**- Oh... My... Gosh... I am so sorry I've been a huge and total jerk-wad for not writing! I've had writers' block.

**Raven**- That's no excuse. You disappointed a lot of people.

**Jazz**- I KNOW I DID! *Runs away like a lunatic*

**Robin**- I guess I'll take over for this disclaimer. You know, until Jazz gets a hold of herself.

**Beast Boy**- Why do you get to do it?

**Cyborg**- Because he's a good leader? BB, just do the disclaimer and maybe you'll feel better.

**Beast Boy**- Pfft. doubt it, but okay. Jazz doesn't own anything from Teen Titans, Taken, Taken 2, or The Expendables.

**Starfire**- Do you feel better?

**Beast Boy**- ...Yeah...

**Robin**- Good. Enjoy the story!

**Jazz**- I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON!

**Cyborg**- Here she goes again... *Face palms*


	4. Old Enemy

Aria was almost vibrating with excitement and glee. She couldn't stop smiling as the team of six made their way to the indoor training area. The young girl had to catch her breath when they finally made it to their destination. Three treadmills, at least ten punching bags, weight lifting areas, an obstacle course and various other training equipment littered the room. What really caught her eye, though, was the boxing ring.

"Wow." She breathed, when she remembered how to. "This is... incredible." She was awe struck. The Titans watched as Aria lightly touched the objects around her, taking in their beauty. She found her way to a punching bag and lightly tapped it with her knuckles. She didn't expect it to hit back. A mechanical arm reached from the side and nearly hit Aria in the face. However, she quickly leaned back and dodged the attack. "Holy crap!" She said, jumping away.

"I guess we should have warned you about that." Cyborg said, sheepishly putting his hand on the back of his neck. "That's a my bad." Aria raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously. She casually walked in front of the same punching bag and threw a right hook. It retaliated, by throwing the same thing back at her. She caught the metal fist in her hand and used her free one to punch. The punching bag grew a second arm, but Aria stopped that one, too. She ran up the front of the robot, did a back flip and landed perfectly, five feet away from it.

"Not so tough..." She said under her breath while cracking her knuckles. She turned to see the Titans staring at her. She blushed. "What?" Beast Boy pointed at her.

"You... Are... Awesome..." He said and Aria blushed some more. Beast Boy shook his head, as if trying to release himself from the trance.

"Good work, Aria." Robin said, walking towards her. "But how good will you be on the boxing ring?" Aria smirked.

"I've been waiting for you to ask that since we stepped in the room." She said and Raven chuckled.

"Good luck trying to win." She said. "It's pretty tough, beating Robin." Aria nodded, accepting the fact that it wouldn't be a cake walk.

"Alright, then." Cyborg said enthusiastically. "Let's go, shall we?" The group nodded, then headed off for the boxing mat.

When they got there, Aria put on gloves, just as Robin was. She suddenly felt herself become less and less confident in her skills. She shook her head and brought herself back to Earth. She could do this. She cautiously stepped into the ring, Robin already waiting for her.

"Alright, I was a good, clean fight, see?" Beast Boy said with an accent from the fifties and suddenly dressed like a referee. "No biting, hair pulling, scratching- even though you can't-"

"Start the match!" Cyborg cried and Starfire cheered. Raven remained silent, but kept a watchful eye on the two in the ring. Beast Boy nodded and hopped out of the way. DING DING!

Aria held up her guard in her face, while Robin watched closely before making his attack. He successfully jabbed her in the stomach. She was slammed against one of the beams, but quickly shook it off. Robin tried the same attack again, but was counter attacked by a blow to the head. He smiled and shook it off as easily as Aria did.

"Not bad, kid." He said, somewhat mocking her. "But is it good enough?" Aria rolled her eyes and lunged for Robin. He smirked and side-stepped out of the way just in time. After quickly moving, he hit Aria in the back and she fell on her stomach.

"Oof!" She landed with a thud. She blinked and stood back up. She cracked her neck. Things are about to get real.

"Get him, Aria!" Cyborg cheered.

"Yay, Robin!" Starfire said. Aria chuckled at their moral support, but then got right back into the game. As she was analyzing her best attack, her thoughts were cut off by a blow to the ribs. She doubled over and fell on the mat.

"Ow." She said in a monotone voice. She slowly got back up. "You can't get rid of me that easy, pretty boy." She said and Robin laughed. He threw multiple jabs at her, but they were all blocked. When he took a very brief break, Aria saw her chance and gave him an uppercut. He fell to the ground.

"One... Two... Three!" Beast Boy said, slamming his hand down with every number he recited. "Ding ding, we have a winner!" He held up Aria's hand and she took a bow.

"Oh, thank you." She said, giggling. "I don't deserve this."

"No kidding..." Robin said, being a sore loser. He slowly got to his feet, with the help of Starfire. "That was a dirty move!"

"Oh, you mean like when you hit me from behind?" She crossed her arms across her chest. Robin opened his mouth to recant, but realized he was wrong and kept his mouth shut. Aria smiled at him. Raven handed both of the fighters some white towels, to mop up their sweat. "Thanks." She nodded.

"That was fun." Cyborg said. "Can we do it again?" There were chuckled among the group. After a brief moment of serenity (and Robin and Aria had caught their breath) the alarm went off. There was trouble.

"Trouble." Robin said. "Titans, go!" The real Teen Titans quickly left, leaving Aria behind. Raven came back.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked. "Let's go!" Aria smiled and quickly followed Raven to join the others.

Back in the locked warehouses of Jump City, there was a villain, busting in and tampering with things that didn't belong to him. He was in the shadows, so there were no distinctive features. He held up a diamond that he had gotten from one of the boxes.

"Well, you're a beauty, aren't you?" The crook asked the rock. Robin threw an exploding disc at the thief and he fell back. "Gah!" He cried when he hit the wall, still encased in darkness.

"Nothing's beautiful where you're going and that's the jailhouse." Robin said. Cyborg flipped on the lights to reveal the bandit's identity. Robin bared his teeth and clenched his fists. "Red X, you suit thieving bastard." X stood tall, as he dusted off his skin-tight black body suit.

"Hey, guys." He said with a confident voice. "It's been a while." Aria raised an eyebrow.

"I'm guessing you guys know each other?" She asked, getting into a fighting stance. Red X tilted his head to get a better view of the one who just spoke.

"Yeah, but the real shame here is me not knowing you." X said. "You're kind of cute. You'd make a nice... pet." Aria clenched her fists.

"Don't call her that, you scum!" Beast Boy cried, then phased into a tiger. He pounced towards Red X, only to be lifted effortlessly into the air and thrown across the room.

"Beast Boy!" Aria screamed and ran over to him. She bent down, but Beast Boy was disoriented. She turned to X. "Bastard!" She called him as she ran.

"Aria, no!" Raven tried to warn, but it was too late. X threw a trapping 'X' at her and it pinned her to the wall. She struggled with all her might, but it wouldn't budge.

"Oh, a fighter, huh?" X said, lifting up her chin. "I like the feisty ones." He whispered. Aria drew in a deep breath and blew it at him. The outcome was Red X being body slammed across the room by a massive wind.

"Good work!" Starfire said, blasting the 'X' off of Aria. Cyborg raised a fist at X, but he dodged it and slammed a mini 'X' on his back, which brunt out his hard drive.

"Oh, man, I just updated this thing!" He said as he lie motionless on the ground.

"Sorry." Red X didn't mean the word he uttered. Starfire shot multiple star bolts at Red X, but he dodged every one and threw a sharp-pointed 'X' at the alien girl and it pinned her skirt to the metal beam behind her. Her head hit the beam. "I really hope that rips." Red X muttered, staring at Starfire. His ogling was interrupted by Raven, picking up two boxes with her energy and throwing them at Red X. He easily dodged them and tackled Raven. The back of her head slammed on the ground.

"Get off of her!" Robin cried, wielding a metal bow staff. He swung down on Red X and managed to hit his arms, which were held up defensively in front of his face. Robin kept swinging down as Red X backed away with every attempted blow. X stopped backing away and kicked Robin in the stomach. He fell to the ground and Red X sighed.

"What a drag. I thought this would be a more interesting fight." He whined.

"It's about to become one!" Aria screamed as she ran at X with a raised fist. He caught her fist as she swung down. She tried to land a blow with her other fist, but that was also thwarted by the one in black. "Let go of me." Aria growled at him. They were only inched from each others' faces and Aria had her teeth bared the whole time.

"Aw, come on." Red X said, smirking under his mask. "Don't be like that. What's your name?" Aria scoffed.

"Drop dead." She growled.

"You know, I'm really not a bad guy. I just... borrowed the suit when Robin didn't want it anymore." Aria rolled her eyes, still struggling against Red X's strength.

"Oh, yeah? If you're such a good guy, then why are you stealing diamonds?" She asked and he sighed.

"You don't want to hear my sob story." His voice was sad. Aria raised an eyebrow, but didn't lower her guard.

"You've got a sob story? Join the club..." She said. Red X softened his grip and Aria softened her expression, sensing that she hurt him. She rolled her eyes, trying to keep up her tough facade. "What _is _your story?" Red X warily held up his head.

"My baby sister is sick and I don't have any money. I... I didn't know what else to do." Red X admitted and Aria relaxed completely. X released her hands and Aria glanced at her injured friends.

"That... That doesn't give you right to hurt my team!" She attempted to hit him again, but was thwarted the same way. X pulled her closer, pinning Aria's body to his. He positioned her arms to the point where she couldn't use them. He looked down at her and she looked up at him.

"I know it doesn't and I'm sorry. I do bad things for good reasons. I'm not a bad guy." He repeated. Robin began to stir. "I've got to go. Think about what I said. Oh, and don't take this the wrong way." Aria raised an eyebrow.

"Take what the wrong w-" She was interrupted when Red X smashed his lips into hers. Her eyes widened as he put his hand on the back of her head and slowly pulled away.

"Gotta run." He whispered and vanished. She was frozen, still in a trance.

"A-Aria..." Robin groaned. She blinked and hurried over to her fallen leader. "W-Where's... X?" Aria shook her head.

"Shh. He got away. He was... too strong and fast for me to beat him. I'm sorry." She stroked the back of his head. "I'm going to check on the rest of the team. Rest here." She stood up and helped Starfire down from the beam. She set Starfire next to Robin and propped them both up against the wall. Next, she woke up Raven, who wasn't seriously hurt and healed herself when she became conscious. Raven went over to take the little 'X' off of Cyborg;s back, which resulted in him regaining control of his body.

"A-Aria..." Beast Boy moaned and Aria ran to him. He unsteadily tried to rise to his feet. Aria caught him and fell to the ground. She held Beast Boy's head in her arms. "Thanks..." He said with a slurred speech. Aria kissed the top of his head.

"Any time, BB." She said, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. She shook it off and turned to her team. "Is everyone okay?" She saw Starfire holding Robin's limp body. Aria nodded. "Yeah, BB's not looking too hot either."

"Let's head home." Cyborg said and everyone nodded. Starfire flew off with Robin in her arms, Aria flew off with Beast Boy in her arms and Raven carried Cyborg home.

When they got home, the two injured boys were put in the medical ward. Robin and Beast Boy had been out for hours. Aria held Beast Boy's hand while he was unconscious. Her head was swimming with images of Red X.

'What the hell is happening to me?' She asked herself. 'He's bad. He is a thief. Why did he kiss me? That... That bastard! Gah!' She let go of Beast Boy's hand to rub her temples.

"Hey." She heard a voice and looked up. Beast Boy was awake. "What's up?" He was still tired. Aria leaned over his bed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." She told him and he wrapped his arms around her, too. She tightened her grip and he chuckled.

"I wasn't dying, but I enjoy the hug." He whispered and she blushed. She stood erect and looked at the empty space in Beast Boy's bed. It was a double bed, so it could fit two people. She walked around the bed and lied down next to him. They sat in silence. It was late and Aria felt her eyes getting heavy. "You can sleep here... If you want, I mean." Beast Boy offered and Aria turned on her side to face him.

"That'd be great. Thanks, BB." She rubbed his head and went to her original position. She let her eyes close, seeing images of Red X while she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**Jazz**- I bet you didn't see THAT coming!

**Robin**- I kind of did...

**Cyborg**- I did not. Oh, well... Robin, do you want to do disclaim stuff?

**Starfire**- Aw, why does Robin get to do it? Did he not lead the whole disclaimer last time?

**Raven**- He did, but he didn't actually disclaim anything. Go for it, Robin.

**Robin**- I will. Jazz doesn't own anything from Teen Titans. That felt good...

**Beast Boy**- Special Announcement! Jazz is thinking about writing a Naruto fan fiction, but would like to know if that's a good idea or not. Feed back please! And I don;t want you to throw up!

**Raven**- ...

**Beast Boy**- What? Feed... Back... Get it?

**Robin**- *Cough* *Cough*

**Jazz**- Anyways, BB is right. Please review and enjoy the story!


	5. A Day To Relax

_Aria was standing in the middle of no where. There were no buildings, people, landmarks, or anything. She was alone. She tried to scream for help, but was shocked to find that her voice wasn't working. She tried to scream again and tried harder and louder, but it failed again. She was scared and alone. All she wanted at that point was to be wrapped in someone's arms and to be told that everything would be alright._

_She shut her eyes tight, hoping she was just seeing things, but when she reopened her eyes, she was in the same place. Tears fell from her eyes and she fell to her knees. She put her head in her hands and silently sobbed. She knew that no one was ever going to find her. She had a feeling of hopelessness and emptiness. She knew that nothing would ever be okay again._

_"Hey, Aria." A familiar voice said and the white haired child snapped her head up. The one who had called her was Red X. At first she felt relief, but when she saw what he was holding, she silently screamed at the top of her lungs. The object X as holding was a tiger head, but it was all green. "Now, now. There's no need to fret. The green kid was going to get in the way of us, but I took care of it." X explained and Aria sat there, tears rolling down her face._

_"Aria. Save me." Beast Boy's voice rang through her head. She covered her ears, trying to block out the sound, but in was inside her mind and couldn't be silenced. "Why didn't you save me? I needed you. I NEEDED YOU AND YOU DIDN'T SAVE ME!" The voice yelled at her and Aria grabbed fistfuls of her hair, not sure what to do. "I would have saved you from death. WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE FOR ME, ARIA!?" Aria again tried to scream, anything to shut the voice up._

_"Aria." X said, coming closer. "You failed your friend. I thought you cared about him. What about the others? They will be so disappointed in you." Red X held up Aria's chin, making her look at him. "But it's quite alright. You can be with me, forever." He kissed her forehead and she screamed. Her voice sounded and she let out the most horrendous scream you've ever heard._

Aria shot upright in Beast Boy's med-bed. She was sweating and panting, still catching her breath from the nightmare. She looked at her surroundings and saw that Robin was out of the medical ward. She looked next to her and became grateful the Beast Boy was a heavy sleeper. The green boy was still asleep and breathing evenly in the bed he shared with Aria. The latter sighed and lied back down.

"It was just a dream." She whispered to herself. "A terrible, messed up, demented dream, but just a dream, nonetheless." She closed her eyes, not trying to go to sleep, but to relax her nerves. She turned her head to look at Beast Boy and she smiled. "I'm glad that you're okay, BB." She said. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. When she pulled back, his eyes were still closed. She smirked and looked at the clock, which read 7:03. She turned back to Beast Boy and softly shook his shoulders.

"Hm?" He moaned, eyes still shut. "What? Five more minutes." He was still sleepy. Aria smirked.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." She sang to him and he opened his eyes. He smiled at her and she did the same. "How are you feeling, BB? Are you still in pain?" She asked, concerned and he shook his head. "Good. Do you want me to make you some tofu breakfast?" Beast Boy sat up and his stomach growled in response to the question.

"Heh. That sounds like a good idea." The green one said and Aria giggled. She hopped out of bed first, then helped Beast Boy out. He was able to stand and walk on his own. "I got it." He said, refusing Aria's helping hand.

"Okay, BB, just don't push yourself too much, okay?" She requested and he nodded. The pair walked to the kitchen.

"So, what exactly happened?" Beast Boy asked when they were still in the hallway. "I remember Red X, but after I was thrown, my memory is kind of hazy. Did he hurt you at all?" His voice was suddenly worried, but relaxed when he saw Aria shake her head gently.

"No. He didn't hurt me, Beast Boy." She somewhat told the truth. "He was too fast for me to stop him, though. I think Robin is disappointed in me." She glued her eyes to the ground, repeating the words she just spoke in her head over and over.

"I'm sure that's not true." He said, trying to comfort her. "Besides, it's not your fault. The dude is well trained and has more advanced martial arts than you. It's no biggie." He smiled at her, but she kept eye contact with the floor. Beast Boy sighed and grabbed her hand. Aria gasped, then flushed. "The important thing is that no one was seriously hurt. I'm just glad your safe."

"I-I, uh..." Aria was speechless, but she composed herself and smiled. "Thanks, BB." She said and the boy smiled.

'If only I could tell you the real reason why he got away.' She thought. 'How could I... betray them all. Not just Beast Boy, but Robin, too. Everyone else will be influenced too if I..." She shook her head. 'He told me not to take it the wrong way. I'm over thinking this.'

"Aria, are you okay?" Beast boy asked. She was acting weird the whole time they were walking. She glanced at him and nodded.

They were still holding hands when they walked into the kitchen and they didn't even realize it. Some one else had to point it out to them.

"Aw, how cute." Cyborg cooed from the kitchen. He made kissy faces at the two and they raised their eyebrows. They looked down at their hands and flushed. Aria quickly walked away from Beast Boy to make him some breakfast, her face being the same shade of red as the tomatoes she cutting. "Hey, now, there's no need to be embarrassed." Cyborg said, nudging her with his elbow.

"Shut up, dude." Aria mumbled, not looking up from her work. "We aren't... Shut up." She placed tofu bacon on a pan and listened to it sizzle. The sound was relaxing to her and she drew in a deep breath.

"So, where is Robin?" Starfire asked. Aria looked up to see the former looking at her. The question was directed to her. Aria took a look around the room and saw everyone there, aside from their spiky headed leader. "He did not come down. Is he still resting?" Aria shook her head.

"I thought he was down here." She said and Raven sighed.

"It's X." She said, putting her book down. "Robin feels that it's his fault that X stole the suit, which in turn, got everyone else hurt." Aria looked down.

'He isn't the only one at fault.' She thought sourly to herself. "So, you have an idea on where he is?" She asked aloud and Raven nodded.

"The place he goes whenever he's stressed and need to dig up information." She paused, for dramatic effect. "His study." Aria sighed.

"And he probably won't be out for a while." Cyborg said. Robin was his best friend- he knew him better than anyone. "The best thing to do is to just let it blow over." He said. Beast Boy scoffed.

"Remember what happened with Slade?" He reminded everyone. Aria was slightly confused. She didn't know all of their enemies and definitely never heard of Slade before. "When we decided to let that take care of itself, Robin lost it. He attacked his friends and-"

"He was drugged. He did not mean to do those things." Starfire defended him. "It was not his fault." Aria flinched when her hand hit the stove. She quickly removed the bacon she was frying and put it on a plate.

'Who is Slade?' She asked herself. 'Who could drive Robin, of all people, to attacking the team? Could anyone be that... powerful?' She cracked some eggs and focused on that, instead of getting into the conversation. It wasn't her place to speak.

"I'm not going to that place again, Beast Boy." Robin's voice joined into the argument. Aria spun around and saw Robin in the doorway. "I made a promise to myself. That promise was to never let anything like Slade or Red X get to me ever again. I almost lost you and I will not cross that line again." He said solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Robin." Beast Boy apologized. "You know I worry about you." Robin nodded, accepting the apology. Aria looked at Robin, too stunned to speak. She just returned to her eggs and slid them on a plate with the bacon she had already prepared. She poured some orange juice in a glass and put them on the table.

"BB, breakfast is ready." She smiled at him and the green one came running. Aria patted his head as he chewed. "Robin, would you like me to make you something?" She offered and Robin shook his head.

"No, thanks. I already ate." He said, patting his stomach. She nodded and sat next to Beast Boy, not very hungry, herself.

She sat quietly, deep in her thoughts. She debated whether or not to tell them about the kiss she shared with Red X. She knew it would be a good idea to tell them before either it slipped from her own mouth or Red X decided to use it against her. She tried to tell herself it was no big deal, but was it? It meant nothing to her, but still. She was scared. What would the team think? Would they see her differently? How would Beast boy react? She looked at the content boy next to her and sighed.

"Aria." Raven said, getting her attention. "If you would like to start meditating today, you can join me in my room later." She offered and Aria nodded.

"Thank you, Raven. I could seriously use it." She admitted, but smiled. Raven nodded and went back to the couch. "So, what do we do in the meantime? Do we have any plans for the day?" Everyone's eyes fell on Cyborg.

"What are y'all looking at me for?" He asked, taking a sip of a juice box.

"Well, you are the party animal here, Cy." Beast Boy said after chugging his orange juice. Aria chuckled, picked up his plate and carried it to the sink. "What do you say, party animal?" Beast boy said, then phased into a panda bear. Aria squealed.

"I love pandas!" She ran over to Beast Boy and gave him a huge embrace. Beast Boy wrapped his bear arms around her. "I was right! They really are soft!" She snuggled more and heard Cyborg laugh.

"You aren't, huh?" He chuckled and Aria released Beast Boy and scratched his head.

"Gah, can't I have just one guilty pleasure, Cyborg?" She begged and ceased praising the green panda in front of her. She turned around to face cyborg again. "Moving on. Do you have anything up your sleeves?" Cyborg pondered on that thought.

"We could just go around town, see what's up, grab some pizza for lunch and go to the park?" He suggested. Aria nodded.

"I like the idea. How about you guys?" She said and everyone nodded. Beast Boy phased back into his original form.

"Woohoo! The park! I love the park!" He cheered and Aria smiled. "When are we leaving?" He was eager at this point.

"We can leave now, if you want." Robin said. Beast Boy nodded excitedly and everyone chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Alright, Titans, let's move!"

The team of six went out to the heart of the city, taking it the sights and enjoying the nice weather. It doesn't usually rain in Jump city, but when it's done, it nearly floods the place. There was a slight breeze, but it was the warm kind. Their beloved city wasn't very big, but it wasn't small either. Everything was in walking distance. They went inside the music store and listened to the latest albums, went to the library and Raven got another book, they also went to the candy store.

"Oh, how I love chocolate." Aria said, drooling over some truffles she found in a display case. "It's my favorite type of candy." She chuckled and stood erect. They bought some gummy candy and fudge, then left.

"It's about lunchtime. Y'all ready for some pizza?" Cyborg asked and everyone nodded.

"Vegetarian pizza, for the win!" Beast Boy cheered and Aria chuckled. "Do you want to try some, Aria? It's really good."

"Sure, BB, I'll split a pizza with you." She agreed and Beast Boy smiled at her.

The group sat at their usual table, which was seated outside and farthest away from the building. They had a better view of the street, in case anything were to happen. the waiter brought out three pizzas- one pepperoni, one cheese and one vegetarian. He also brought a napkin with his phone number on it and slid it to Aria.

"What's-" She began to ask and blushed when she actually took a look at it. "I, um... I don't..." She was completely flushed. Beast boy felt a wave of jealousy wash over him, but it went away went she set it back on the table with the other napkins. "I don't really do that kind of stuff." She admitted.

"Well, why not?" Robin asked. "You could if you wanted to, you know." Aria shook her head.

"I don't 'hook up' with guys I've never talked to." She shrugged. "Alright, moment of truth." She grabbed a slice of pizza from the tray and took a huge mouthful. The five watched her closely, but no one was watching her more than Beast Boy. "This is... delicious!" She cheered. "Oh my gosh!" She swallowed and sighed. "Where have you been all my life?" She asked the pizza and took another bite.

"Man, I don't know what's so good about that stuff." Cyborg said, shaking his head. "Where's the meat? You can't have pizza without meat. It's just plain unnatural." He ranted and Aria chuckled.

"You don't have to like it, Cyborg, but don't go around dissing things you just don't understand." She said and took a sip of her water.

The team ate and conversed for about an hour, before finally finishing their food and going to the park. Despite it being a gorgeous day, there weren't very many people at the park. Just a group of children playing football, some people walking dogs and a family having a Bar-B-Q. They found a prefect tree and decided to make that their 'rendezvous' point. Raven meditated directly under the tree and Aria lied down, looking at the clouds. Starfire and Cyborg were having an arm-wrestling competition and Robin was the referee.

"Hey." Beast Boy said to Aria, who was still on her back. "Whatcha doing?" He asked, sitting next to her. She shrugged, moving her hands behind her head.

"Just thinking." She answered simply and he raised an eyebrow.

"What about?" He pushed and she didn't answer. Sensing that she didn't want to talk about it, he remained silent as he started to lay down directly next to her.

"BB, can I ask you something?" Aria asked, out of no where.

"Uh, sure. Fire away." Beast Boy said, a bit nervous.

"Do you ever... feel bad about something you had no control over?" She asked, hesitating as she spoke. "I mean, do you ever go back and look at something terrible and think, 'I could have stopped it' and feel guilty?" The boy thought hard, keeping his eyes on the skies.

"Aria." He began, propping himself up on one elbow, so he could look at the girl he was speaking to. "There are many things we can't control in this world. Things will happen that are good and we can't do anything to make them happen. Things will happen in this world that are bad and we can't do anything to stop them. I personally believe in..." He paused and closed his eyes. "Fate." He finished and opened his eyes to see Aria watching him.

"Has it ever happened to you, though?" She repeated her question and Beast Boy sighed.

"Yes. Many times, but the important thing to know, is that you just can't control some things." He said and she nodded.

"Thanks." She said, then leaned in and kissed his cheek. She lied back down again and spoke before Beast Boy could ask his question. "And no. I don't want to talk about it. Not yet, at least." Beast Boy nodded and lied back down with her. Aria's hands were at her sides at this point and he held one as they gazed at clouds. It was truly a perfect moment.


	6. The Visions

_There's fire everywhere. Everything is engulfed in flames and everyone is dead. The sickest part- Aria isn't being effected in any way by the sea of flames. All she could do was sit there, not being able to do a thing to stop it. She was crying while she watched innocent people perish. She took a look at where her friends were sitting and saw a look of pure torture on each of their faces._

_"No!" She screamed. "How is this happening!?" _

_None of it felt real, but her sense of sight overpowered her sense of touch and the rational part of her brain. She knew none of it could being happening. She tired to snap herself out of it, but she just couldn't._

_She ran around, trying to get the attention of anyone. To tell them it wasn't real, but she was invisible. Nonexistent. Her voice sounded, but no one could hear her. It was torture. She tried to reach out to them, but her hand went right through them._

_"Someone! Anyone! Please help me!" She called out. "They're dying! All of them! Please!" Aria fell to her knees, watching her precious city burn to the ground. Tears fell from her eyes and she sobbed, but crying wasn't going to help._

_She slowly rose to her feet and decided enough was enough. She took in a very deep breath and exhaled with all her might- creating a tornado, that would hopefully extinguish the fire. As the cyclone quickly passed, Aria realized she made a huge mistake. Instead of the fire just going away, it turned everything into a statue instead. That's what happens when you cool something off too rapidly._

_"What have I done!?" She shrieked, crying all over again, but more violently._

_"Aria!" She heard someone call her name between sobs. She could barely breathe with all the smoke surrounding her. "Aria!" She heard again._

She shot upright, gasping for air and coughing. She was still in the park, not charred and fire free. She glanced around her surroundings, to make sure there were no flames, whatsoever and she was right. She breathing was getting back to normal when she looked at the one who was calling her name. It was Beast Boy. The Beast Boy in her little daydream had his face covered in flames and was being burnt alive.

"Beast Boy!" She cried and threw her arms around the green one's neck. He cautiously wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

"What happened?" Robin asked, worried and confused. "You fell asleep and then you started crying."

Aria pulled away from Beast Boy. She patted the corner of her eyes to find that they were damp. She looked at her other friends and smiled.

"Freaky tear ducts, am I right?" She said casually, hoping no one would ask too many questions. "What time is it?" She asked, standing up and stretching. Everyone looked at her, baffled.

"Uh, 4:13." Cyborg said, looking at his wrist. "We should probably head home." He suggested and everyone nodded in agreement.

They started to walk and Aria held Beast Boy's hand as they made their way to the tower. He didn't really see this as a surprise, seeing as they held hands all the time, now, but he was still worried.

'What exactly happened to her?' He asked himself as they walked. 'Should I ask her or let her just tell me?' He asked and suddenly found Aria two inches from his ear.

"I'll tell you later, okay, BB?" She whispered to him and he shivered at her breath touching his neck. He nodded.

"Thanks." He whispered and Aria giggled, then pulled away. "I hope that you won't keep any other thing away from me, Aria." He said and looked at her. she smiled and nodded.

"I've nothing to hide." She said and Beast Boy smiled at her. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. She blushed, but kept smiling. "What was that for?" She asked and the one who kissed her smiled.

"For the truth." He said and Aria nodded.

'Oh, brother. I should tell them.' She thought. 'My kiss with X and the dreams. I'll tell them about both of them. But... Beast Boy.' She sighed and looked at their joined hands. 'I need to tell him.'

When the group got home, Raven immediately took Aria to a place where they wouldn't be bothered. Raven could tell that Aria was holding something back by her energy. It was different from when they first met. They went onto the roof, even though Raven said they would meditate in her room, she thought it would be better to speak outside, where the space was open.

"Okay, before we begin," Raven started. "Is there anything you want to get off your chest? Any secrets you want to tell me?" Aria hesitated, but eventually nodded.

"Yeah, Raven. I do." She admitted and took a deep breath. "I've been having... nightmares. I know that's not really a big deal, but-"

"I could be a huge deal, Aria." Raven interrupted her. "The nightmares you've been having could be a result of inner turmoil. We need to get to the root of your problem and strike there." Aria blushed.

"Um, I think I have an idea as to what that could be." Aria she sheepishly. "And you're not going to like it." Aria looked at Raven as the latter awaited her confession. "Red X... kissed me. That's when they started."

"After we were all knocked out?" Raven asked and Aria nodded. There was a brief pause before Raven began to speak again. "Did you want him to?" Aria gasped.

"Hell no!" She said, not sure if she mean it. "I don't... No! Red X is a criminal!" She was defensive. Aria groaned and rubbed her temples. "But he told me that his little sister is sick and he needed the cash. Maybe he isn't all bad?"

"He stole from us, Aria." Raven reminded her. "I'm sure he was just lying to you, to get on your good side. Trust me, he's a bad guy." Aria nodded.

"So, you're not angry with me? You know, about the kiss?" Aria asked, making sure there was no bad blood. Raven shook her head.

"No. I'm guessing you haven't told the others, but you should. Maybe that will ease your bad dreams a bit." Raven suggested and Aria nodded. "But first, can you describe what you've been seeing."

Aria didn't hesitate, knowing she could trust Raven, and went on describing every detail of both her nightmares. Every traumatizing moment was revealed, without being held back. Raven listened intently as she tried to figure out what it all meant. After about an hour, it had gotten dark and Raven decided that enough was enough and Aria had to reveal this kiss she shared with Red X.

"G-Guys." Aria said when her and Raven entered the living room. At this point, there was only Robin, Cyborg and Starfire. Beast Boy was taking a shower. "I have to tell you something about our fight with Red X." She started and Robin clenched his fist.

"What did he do?" He demanded to know. "Did X hurt you?" Aria threw a nervous glance at Raven who nodded. Aria turned back to her friends and took a deep breath.

"He didn't hurt me, Robin. X... X kissed me." She finally revealed, feeling the weight of the world lift off her shoulders. "Be mad at me if you want, but I just wanted you all to know." She let out a breath of relief. She was glad she got it out, but worried about their reactions.

"Did you kiss back?" Cyborg asked and Aria blushed. "I mean, did you want it to happen?"

"Forget that!" Robin said. "I want to know why he did it in the first place!" Aria sighed.

"To answer your question, Cyborg, no. I did not want Red X to kiss me." Aria said calmly, feeling better about talking about this. "He caught me off guard. Robin, Raven said that X most likely wanted to get on my good side. The reason for that is unknown at this point, but we'll find out."

"How?" Starfire asked. "How will we find out the answer? Red X is a mystery. We do not know anything about him." Her voice was pure innocence.

"If he's trying to get on her good side," Cyborg began, popping in a video game. "Then he'll probably open up to her. You know, tell her some vital information." Aria blinked.

"You want me to... _deceive _him?" Aria asked incredulously. "I don't know if I can do that. Can we figure this out tomorrow, please? I don't want to talk about this anymore." Robin nodded.

"Don't forget, you have to tell Beast Boy." Raven reminded her and Aria ran her fingers through her perfectly straight hair.

"I haven't forgotten." She assured the purple cloaked girl and walked out of the living room.

Aria slowly made her way down the hall, thinking about how she would break the news to Beast Boy. She had grown feelings for the boy and she didn't want to hurt him with this information. However, she would be hurting him even worse if she _didn't _tell him. She quietly groaned as she approached the door of the bedroom belonging to the one she needed to speak to. She hesitated slightly before knocking on the door. Her hand hovered above the door as she took a deep breath and gently knocked on it.

"It's open." The green one called from inside the room. Aria sighed, then opened the door to see Beast Boy without a shirt on. When he picked up his head to see who had entered his room, he flushed. "Hey, Aria." He said nervously as he reached for a shirt.

"Hi, BB." Aria said timidly. She was still thinking hard about what to say. "I... I need to talk to you." She finally informed him, sitting on the bottom bunk of his bed. Beast Boy sat next to her.

"Sure. Anything." He sounded nervous like Aria, but his nerves were wracking for a different reason. "Fire away." Aria took a deep breath.

"I told you that I would tell you about what happened in the park later. It's later, but I have to tell you something else first." She stalled, hoping the words she desperately needed would flow into her brain. "It's... about our fight with X the other day. He... I..." She put her head in her hands and groaned.

"Hey, come on." Beast Boy put his hand on hers. "You can tell me anything." He promised and Aria sniffled.

"You're going to hate me." She said and took another deep breath. "X kissed me, BB. I didn't want it. I swear, but I was caught off guard and..." Her voice trailed off as she started to tremble. Beast Boy wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay." He said and Aria sobbed into his shoulder. "Really. I'm not mad at you." He said softly to her.

The one he was really angry with was Red X. How dare he make Aria feel this way? Beast Boy would love nothing more than to track Red X down and kick the crap out of him- black bear style, but his top priority was to make sure that his Aria was alright.

"P-Promise?" Aria asked, looking up at the one who was holding her with tear stained eyes. Beast Boy gently wiped one away.

"I promise." He whispered and kissed her forehead. When he pulled away, he met Aria's eyes. They were inches apart from each other's faces. "And I could _never _hate you." He assured her and she sniffled.

"That's good to hear." She whispered, not realizing that she was previously holding her breath. "But I'm sorry. I truly, honestly am sor-" She was silenced by a pair of green lips pressing into hers. She gasped at first, but then shut her eyes, enjoying every second of the beautiful kiss.

"Don't be sorry." Beast Boy whispered when they pulled apart. "It wasn't your fault." Aria smiled at him, feeling her cheeks heat up.

'So, he feels the same way?' She asked herself, being purely speechless. 'Or was that just to shut me up? Why do I care? I just kissed Beast Boy! Beast Boy kissed me!' She was having a fan girl moment in her mind, when Beast boy had to ruin the moment.

"So, do you still want to talk about the incident at the park?" He asked, still genuinely curious, but a mischievous grin danced across his lips. "Or did I take your breath away?" Aria flushed, but somewhat pouted. She was expecting a second kiss that didn't come.

"I should probably tell you, seeing as I promised you and all." She teased and pulled away from Beast Boy. She lied down on his bed, being kind of tired and Beast Boy stayed where he was.

"Go on." Beast Boy said, waving his hand dramatically. Aria smirked and repeated virtually every detail about her second daydream.

She didn't want to tell him about the first one she had. He was in it. Dead. At the hands of the one who forcefully kissed her. She thought it would be best to keep that little tidbit away from him. For now, anyway. After her story was over, the boy ended up lying next to her and was speechless.

"Whoa." He finally said and Aria rolled her eyes. "That sounds really scary." He said simply and shuddered a bit. Aria nodded.

"It was terrifying." Se said and turned on her side to face Beast Boy. She nestled her head into his, getting cozy.

"You tired?" He asked and she yawned in response. The boy chuckled. "You can crash here I you want. I'm pretty beat myself." He yawned as well.

"Thanks, BB." Aria said, drained of her energy. She snuggled into Beast Boy and he pulled the covers over her. She yawned one last time before Beast Boy shut off the lights and they both drifted off to sleep.


	7. The Terrible Trio

When Beast Boy woke up, he found Aria in his arms and her head was resting peacefully on his chest. He listened to the even breathing that came from the white haired girl on top of him and couldn't help but smile. Aria subconsciously cuddled into Beast Boy's warm body and her eyes fluttered open. She let out a small yawn and blushed when her eyes were completely open.

"H-Hey, BB." She said nervously and sat up. He chuckled and sat up as well. Aria patted down her straight hair.

"How did you sleep?" Beast Boy asked, hoping to hear whether or not she had a bad dream again. Aria simply shrugged.

"I don't know. Good, I guess." She got off the bed and did her usual stretching routine. "Though, I remember this one little fragment of this dream I had." She said, while bending down to touch her toes. Beast Boy made no effort to tear his gaze from the girl in front of him.

"Yeah?" He said, only half listening. "What was it?" Aria chuckled.

"I sneezed really loud because there was glitter all over the place." She said with a smile. "We must have been at a party or something. I wish I knew what it means." She turned and saw Beast Boy drooling. He blinked and rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't sweat it." He said, in attempt to cover up his previous ogling. "Raven is really good at that stuff. Maybe she'll know." Aria let his wandering eye go and stood erect.

"Food?" She asked and Beast Boy nodded, then the pair exited the boy's room.

They walked down the hallway, hand in hand, when a sudden thought surfaced it's way to Beast Boy's attention. He grew nervous at the possible answer to the question he dared to ask Aria.

"A-Aria?" He asked, timidly. The girl looked at him and smiled.

"What's up?" She asked, clearly in a good mood. She was remembering last night, just as Beast Boy was.

"I... I was just wondering something." He said. Aria raised an eyebrow that told him to go on. "About... the kiss, I mean." Aria's smile grew.

"What about it?" She asked. "What's on your mind?" She was secretly hoping for a certain question and felt her heart practically beat out of her chest. Beast Boy cleared his throat, unsure of what to say.

"Did it... _mean _anything to you?" He asked and Aria's smile turned into a look of confusion. "I mean, was it like the kiss you had with X?" Aria froze in her tracks. Beast Boy released her hand and the stood, face to face, in the middle of the hallway.

"What do you think?" She asked, incredulously. "Of course it did, dude." She said and Beast Boy looked at the floor, unsure if he should believe her.

Aria sighed. She took a step towards him and planted her hand on the back of his head before pulling him in for a kiss. His eyes widened at first, but then kissed back when he realized what was happening. He put his hands on Aria's waist and savored the feeling. Aria pulled her lips away from his, but kept them inches apart.

"Believe me now?" She asked and Beast Boy nodded. She pecked him on the lips, before continuing to walk down the hall again. Beast Boy followed and grabbed her hand with confidence.

"Okay, then." The green boy said as they approached the kitchen door. "Follow up question- and you don't have to answer right away." He said and Aria nodded in understanding. "I want to know where we are. Am I in the friend zone? Am I more? You can think about it." He pecked her on the cheek before opening the door and walking inside. Aria followed him, not far behind.

'Gee, what a warning that boy gave me.' She thought as she grabbed a bowl to pour her cereal in. She groaned as she took the first bite.

Breakfast was uneventful- aside from Starfire finding a toy in the cereal box. The strange alien girl was fascinated over the small plastic action figure of a squirrel. After Aria finished her cereal, she washed the dishes she used and went to the bathroom.

She combed her hair after washing her face. She was making a mental 'Pros' and 'Cons' list about taking her relationship with Beast Boy to the next level. On one hand, she really cared about the guy. On the other, they would constantly be worried about each other in the battlefield. She was brushing her teeth and thinking at the same time, when the alarm went off and she choked on her toothpaste. As she hacked out the mint flavored substance, someone called her.

"Aria, let's go!" It was Beast Boy. She groaned as she spat out the last of it. She flew at top speed to the living room and was there in seconds. She looked at the flashing map on the jumbo T.V. that took up the entire wall.

"What's up?" She asked, innocently.

"There is trouble." Starfire replied and Robin cracked his knuckles.

"Who is it?" Cyborg asked. "One of our friends?" He asked sarcastically and the spiky headed leader shook his head.

"I don't know who they are and I don't need to." He replied. "They're attacking my city and that's all I need to know to take them down."

Back in the Jump City Bank, they were under attack, yet again, by three teens. The leader was a girl with a silver spandex cap that wrapped around her head- everywhere, but her eyes and mouth. Her eyes were the same shade of hot pink as her lips and her pupils were slits. She had a slender body and a somewhat short stature. Her clothes compiled of a silver spandex long sleeved unitard, hot pink thigh length heeled boots and hot pink fingerless spandex gloves. She was shoving cash in a duffel bag.

"Hey, Diamond." Another girl said as she approached her. "How many more bags did you want?"

This girl had short, jet black hair and purple, cat-like eyes. She was a little taller than the leader- called Diamond- and was very pale. She wore a black long sleeve leotard with an electric blue belt, that fit her loosely, and thigh high, skin tight combat boots that matched. She also had a purple cloak that reached the floor. The hood of the cloak was pulled over her head- concealing her identity.

"Hm, I thinking about ten." Diamond answered the question. "Silhouette, where is Sonic?" The one called Silhouette shrugged.

"I think he's in the room with the safety deposit boxes." She said and Diamond nodded. "I'll go check, anyway." She said, then disappeared. Diamond went back to shoving as much cash as she could in her bag.

"Money, money, money. I love the stuff." She sang. "Who cares if I have a _little _problem?" She asked herself, then paused to admire the ring on her left ring finger. She wasn't married, but it was a present from her teammate and boyfriend, Sonic Boom. It was a small amethyst diamond on a silver band. She sighed, remembering the moment he gave it her her.

Sonic Boom, the only male teammate, had red, pupil-less eyes, pale skin, but not as pale as Silhouette's and an emotionless face that hardly ever smiled. His costume resembled Kyd Wykkyd's, but it was all black with a few added details. He had a pair of red, knee length boots and a black cape with spandex gloves that were the same color.

'Diamond, we've got to get out of here!' Sonic Boom warned his mate telepathically. 'There's someone coming!' Diamond, being the greedy little child she is, stuffed one more wad of cash in the bag and spun around.

There was a crash and smoke filled the room. When the vapor lifted, it revealed six people- three boys and three girls.

"Titans! Go!" Robin commanded and charged at the leader of the group.

Diamond pulled out her black communicator and there was a black figure, known as Sonic Boom, that suddenly appeared. He clapped his hands together, creating a massive sound wave, that hit Beast Boy and sent him crashing into Starfire. Both of them went flying into the wall behind them.

"Star!" Robin yelled as he hurried to her.

"Aw, Lover Boy Wonder is trying to save his girlfriend." Diamond sarcastically cooed.

She whipped out a pink glitter gun- which is more deadly than it seems- and aimed it a Aria. She pulled the trigger and Aria was engulfed in glitter. She sneezed a very big sneeze, which cleared the air around her, but slammed her into a wall, leaving her disoriented. The glitter was the same kind from her dream- cloud like and pink. Was did this mean?

"Azarath Metrion Zin- Ugh!" Raven's chant was interrupted by a black and blue version of herself.

"Aw, were you trying to hurt them?" Silhouette mocked. "Well, that's too bad." Taking advantage of the moment, the Raven look-a-like used her Dark Magic to throw Raven across the room- the latter crashed into Beast Boy, Starfire and Robin, all of which had just regained their balance.

"Yo! Tall, dark and creepy!" Cyborg yelled as he ran at Silhouette with a raised fist.

She smirked and simply vanished. She reappeared behind Cyborg and open his battery pack before ripping out some important-looking wires. The large man came tumbling down.

"I hate to leave a good fight, but life isn't fair, is it?" Diamond smirked, standing in front of Sonic Boom and Silhouette. "Sorry, but we've got to go." Aria came to her feet and coughed.

"Who are you!?" She demanded and Diamond smirked.

"I'm Diamond. The glitter girl." The leader stated.

"I'm Sonic Boom. The silent assassin." The boy of the group said.

"I'm Silhouette. The dark angel." The final member of the team remarked.

"We are The Terrible Trio." All three said in a unison.

"Until next time, Titan." Diamond smirked as she waved good bye. Silhouette draped her cape over the three and they were transported back to their base camp.

"Damn it!" Aria shouted and caught her fist in her hand. "I could have had them right there."

"Yeah, and you would have gotten hurt." Raven said, coming to her feet. Robin helped Starfire up. "We didn't know much about them when we got here, but now, we know more than they think we know." Aria nodded. She bent down and got a fist full of the glitter that had subdued her.

'If she got me by using _glitter, _of all things, I'd hate to see what they can really bring to the table.' Aria thought, then heard a familiar groan.

"Beast Boy!" She shrieked and ran to him. He was trying to come to his feet, but could barely manage. "BB, are you okay?" She asked, panicking.

"I-I'm fine, Aria." Beast Boy tried to sound brave, but his voice cracked on the last word. Aria's heart broke. She helped Beast Boy steady himself on his feet, the she slung his arm over her shoulder to support him.

"Star, could you get Cyborg and take him back home?" Robin asked her and she nodded. They left with Aria carrying Beast Boy, Starfire carrying Cyborg and Raven carrying Robin.

They got home and Beast Boy endured a brief healing session with Raven, clutching Aria's hand the whole time. Robin fixed and replaced wires that had been removed from Cyborg's battery pack and he was good as new. Everyone else had minor scrapes and bruises that were treated easily.

"You need to stop getting hurt." Aria teased Beast Boy when she saw he was well. "You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days." They were sitting on the couch in the living room, while Robin and Starfire were inputting The Terrible Trio's stats in the computer.

"Sorry." Beast Boy apologized and held Aria's hand. "I'm just glad you weren't hurt." He said and the girl smiled.

"D'aaawww." Cyborg cooed. "As cute as this is, maybe we should return our focus to the front of the class." He suggested and Aria blushed, but nodded.

The team of six began to share their observations, disclose information and talk about the trio.

Back at the base camp of The Terrible Trio, Diamond, Sonic Boom and Silhouette were counting their loot as they talked about their confrontation with the Teen Titans.

"Cyborg was just way too easy to take out." Silhouette boasted. "I mean, his weakness is so obvious." She shrugged and walked over to the fridge. She opened it and got herself a glass of orange juice. Diamond laughed.

"Out of all the fine wine we've stolen, you choose Sunny-D?" She asked incredulously and the dark one shrugged.

"Bad guys need to consume their Vitamin C, too, you know." She pouted and walked back to the large table where the other two were sitting. Money, coins and jewels were scattered across the table.

"What about the new girl?" Diamond asked, staring off into space. "I've never seen her before."

"Neither have I." Silhouette agreed and Sonic Boom nodded- not being the talkative type.

"And did you see the way she sneezed and threw herself against the wall?" Diamond asked, almost in awe. "I don't think it'd be a pleasant experience if she aimed her power at me." She admitted and Sonic Boom perked up, but not at the remark.

'Someone's here.' He mentally warned the girls. 'There's just one, though. Easy prey.'

* * *

**Hello, all! Sorry I haven't been putting in my disclaimers. I've been forgetfula dn down right unmotivated, but this is a special message for a special person.**

**All three of the new OC's are 100% not my idea. That's right, I have a new co-writer (You lost your chance, Nat-chan).**

**It's SilentScreaming1944. I seriously shouldn't get half of the credit, because 83% of this chapter comes from her own little brain.**

**This girl is downright incredible and if you've got a problem, I will beat your ass! Excuse the language. Anyways, if yu like Teen Titan stories, this is your girl. Read Jump City High and you'll fall in love with it! Shout out to my girl that I've never met before! Yay for online friendship!**

**Heads up, however, since I'm new to the whole 'co-writing' gist, I won't be accepting any other people to help me. Sorry if you had your heart set on it, but I feel like I would disappoint a lot of people in the long run, so no help!**

**Just a reminder that I don't own anything from Teen Titans or Sunny-D for that matter. I just happen to like both of those things.**

**Enjoy the story and thank you for your support!**


	8. A New Addition

"Now, now, kiddies." A low and almost mechanical voice said. "I'm not the enemy, so tell your team to cool it, Diamond." The trio turned towards the direction of the voice, to see a man in a black body suit with a black cape and a mask that resembled a skull. It was Red X.

"How do you know my name, stranger?" Diamond asked coolly, keeping her startled expression under wraps. "Or a better question, how did you find us?" She rose to her feet and placed her hands on her hips.

"Chill out, cutie." X said flirtatiously. "The name's Red X, but get the privilege of calling me X." He vanished from the top of the stairs and reappeared two feet in front of Diamond, who gasped.

"Get away from her!" Silhouette commanded. She used her Dark Magic to lift up some coins and shoot them at Red X, but he easily dodged them.

"Hey, now. Is that anyway to treat a friend?" Red X asked Silhouette. "I just want to talk, that's all." He disappeared and manifested behind Silhouette, who spun around to try to hit X, but her grabbed her fist and gently pushed her back.

"Hold it." Diamond instructed and her female teammate glared at her.

"He's a stranger, Diamond!" She reminded her leader. "We don't know what he wants! He could try to-"

"If you'd let me explain myself, you'd know my purpose for being here." Red X interrupted the dark angel. "But to be honest, I'm not here to talk to you. I'm here to propose a deal to the one they call Diamond." Diamond folded her arms across her chest.

"Sonic, baby, pull up a chair for our... guest." She said and Sonic Boom nodded, then grabbed a chair.

"Thanks, kid." Red X said before sitting down.

"So, what do you want, X?" Diamond demanded and sat in front of him, crossing her legs. "What can The Terrible Trio do for you?" Red X leaned back in his chair and chuckled.

"It's more like what _I _can do for _you._" He mused and Diamond waited for an explanation. "I saw you tussle with my 'friends', the Teen Titans." X put air quotes around friends. Diamonds eyes widened.

"How did you know about that?" Silhouette asked.

"I see everything. I am nowhere and everywhere. I am no one and everyone." He said mysteriously. "The point is, I can help your group. Here's my proposal, Diamond- your little team joins me, I can teach you all the pure art of stealth and we can pull of heists without ever getting caught." He offered and Diamond thought about it.

"Diamond! You can't be serious!" Silhouette fumed. "He's an _outsider _and could report us to the cops! Think about what you're doing, here!" Silhouette was silenced by a hand.

"You should think about what you're saying before you let it slip out." Diamond growled. Silhouette was her best friend, but if she couldn't control that mouth of her's, Diamond would have to do it for her. "So, Red X, you want my team to join you, you'll train us in stealthiness and we pull off heists together, huh?" She asked for clarification and he nodded.

"Simple as that." He said, putting his hands nonchalantly behind his head. Diamond chuckled and leaned back in her chair, as well.

"Well, I'd love to believe that you wouldn't stab us in the back or anything, but I just can't. I'm sure you understand." Diamond said smugly and Red X nodded.

"I expected as much." He agreed. "But I saw your moves, too. I heard the conversation you were just having and I know you envy the new addition to the Teen Titans." He told her. "Aria's powers are extraordinary I've seen them up close- but she has no control over them. We can use that to our advantage and try to recruit her ourselves."

"Well, before we get into that, my dear Red X." Diamond said. "You'll have to do one little thing for us first. And it involves messing with your little friends, The Titans."

Red X chuckled and nodded, accepting the challenge.

Back in the Titans' Tower, then group decided what to do next time they are confronted by The Terrible Trio. They had an entire game plan mapped out for the next fight. Each attack was meant to neutralize those of the three.

"All right, that's enough for tonight." Robin said, saving the setting on his computer after updating the stats of Diamond, Sonic Boom and Silhouette. "Every one should try to go to bed early because in the morning, we're training. Hard. Aria, I know you're new to the whole recreation, but we'll help you get in the swing of things."

"Cool, but what if it's not enough?" Aria asked the team leader who placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It will be." He promised. "Trust me. The most that you could do is to do your best. That's all I'm asking. Any information we can dig up during a battle will help us in the long run. Understand?"

"Yes. I understand, Robin." Aria nodded. "There's one thing I have to share with you guys, though." Aria turned to face the entire group. "I had a dream about the attack. It wasn't the whole thing, just the part where I was shot with that glitter cannon thing. Raven, is that supposed to mean something?" Raven scratched her chin.

"It sounds like a vision, if you ask me." She said and rose to her feet. "I'll go do some research from my spell books and see if I can dig anything up." Raven left the living room and headed off to her own room.

"Okay, so now what?" Beast Boy asked. "What happens now? We just wait for their next attack?" Suddenly, there was an enormous crack of thunder and buckets of rain fell from the sky.

"I don't know about you all, but I'm taking Robin's advice and going to sleep." Aria yawned and tussled Beast Boy's hair before exiting the room.

"Anyone else want to follow her lead?" Robin asked and the remaining three were silent. "Very well. I'm going to look through my papers a bit more." He informed them.

"I do not wish to sleep." Starfire said and sat down on the couch.

"I'm too hungry to go to bed." Cyborg sad, walking over to the fridge. "What about you, Lover Boy?" Cyborg asked Beast Boy, who flushed.

Before he could reply, there was a flash of lightning, followed by a horrifying scream. The four Titans briefly exchanged worried glances, before running out of the room in search of the source of the scream.

"Aria?" Beast Boy asked when he saw a completely petrified young girl with her back against the wall. "Aria, what happened? Are you hurt?" Aria couldn't speak, she was trembling too much. "Aria!"

"T-There's something in the t-tower." She stammered, before looking at Beast Boy with a frightened expression. "I-It went that way. I-I think." She pointed to her right and the five of them went off in that direction.

They inevitably searched the whole tower without finding a single trace of an intruder. The group of five wound up back in the living room, Aria being confused as anything.

"T-There was someone here!" She said.

"Scanners didn't pick anything up." Cyborg said. "Nothing tripped the security alarm."

"Maybe you're just tired, Aria." Beast Boy said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You just need some rest." Aria gently shoved his hand away from her.

"I saw someone!" She repeated. "There was... And I... I'm not tired or crazy! There is someone in the tower! Believe me!" She was on the verge of frustrated tears. "I know what I saw!"

"Yes, you do." A voice said from the intercom. "Pity you didn't believe her, Titans." Raven came flying into the living room.

"Who the hell is that?" The young witch asked. There was silence.

"I know who I _think _it is, Red X." Aria growled and laughter came through the intercom.

"Ding, ding. Someone, give the beautiful young lady a prize."

The plasma showed four different rooms of the tower. On the far left, Diamond was relaxing and filing her nails in Starfire's room in one of her beanbag chairs. In the center left, Sonic Boom was looking at all the technology in Cyborg's room with great interest. In the center right, Silhouette was modeling one of Raven's belts in her room. Finally, to the far right, Red X was leaning on Robin's desk in his room- staring straight into the camera.

"How the hell did they get in here!?" Raven demanded.

There was a flash of lighting and when the light went away, all the rooms were empty.

"W-What's going on?" Aria said, clearly scared. The Titans were used to this kind of thing, but Aria wasn't sure what was going on and didn't care to know.

"Aria, there's nothing to fear." Red X's voice sounded throughout their home. "The last thing I would want to happen is to have you get hurt." He purred and in a flash of lightning, he was facing Aria, the latter, letting out a scream. In another flash he was gone.

Aria's head was spinning as she sank to her knees. There was an unexplained wind in the room as Aria began to shake with fear and frustration. The wind moved her hair out of her eyes, to show that they had a pure white film over them.

"No! no! no! Stop it!" She screamed and clutched her head. "Why are you doing this!?"

"To teach you a lesson!" Diamond cried and let out a wicked cackle.

"Aria! What are you doing?" Raven asked her. Raven knew that Aria's powers were directed by her emotions, which is the main reason why she offered to meditate with her, but she didn't know just how emotion-dependent her powers were. "Calm down! They aren't real! The one called Sonic Boom is just messing with your mind!" Raven promised. The wind was blowing furiously, making Robin's and Raven's capes thrash about.

"I-I can't!" Aria screamed.

"Yes! You can!" Raven encouraged her.

Aria took in some deep breaths and the wind calmed down, until it was a breeze, the that eventually settled to a draft, then there was nothing. Aria's eyes came back t their original grey color and she fell to her side- completely drained of her energy.

"Aria!" Beast Boy came rushing to her. He came to his knees next to her and propped her up on his shoulder. "Aria, are you okay? Please be okay." He beg and Aria's eyes fluttered open. She groaned and buried her face in his chest.

"My head." She groaned and looked at the very surprised and shocked Titans. She rubbed her temples. "What happened? Did I do something wrong?" She asked innocently.

"You don't remember?" Robin asked in disbelief. "How could you not remember?" Aria slowly came to her feet, with the help of Beast Boy. He held her up as she stumbled a bit.

"Remember what? What's going on?" She asked the group who looked stunned. Cyborg turned to Raven.

"Do you have any idea on what's happening?" He asked the girl cloaked in purple, who nodded.

"Yeah. I think I might." She replied.

After the six of them were seated at the table, Raven began to explain her hypothesis.

"Well, first, let me explain how they were in the tower without being in the tower." Raven began. "Sonic Boom planted those images and sounds in our heads- none of it was real. He has the power to communicate telepathically with whomever he wants. Now, Aria's... episode is different. That actually happened."

"What happened, though." Aria said, fearing that her only friends were now scared of the power inside of her. "I didn't... hurt anyone. Did I?" She asked and Beast Boy shook his head, then wrapped an arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"No, but you could have." Raven said bluntly. "This is the reason why you need to meditate with me daily. Your powers are driven by your emotions- that much is obvious. However, the amount of power I suppressed isn't nearly enough to stop what you did. All you did, though, was subconsciously speed up the wind in the tower. Nothing too serious, but nothing to be taken lightly."

"What can I do to make sure it doesn't happen anymore?" Aria asked. "I'll meditate every single day if that's what it takes." Raven sighed.

"It will take much more than that, but it's a start." She said and Robin stood up.

"Raven, how do we keep Sonic Boom out of our minds?" Robin asked.

"The only thing we can do is just ignore him." She informed them. "He can't actually hurt you, unless you think it's real." Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Alright. We should all go to bed now." Robin said. "It's getting late and this little event has us all strung up." Everyone nodded and began to file out of the living room.

"Beast Boy." Aria said quietly. "C-Can I sleep in your room again? Please?" She requested. The whole thing still had her shaken up and Beast boy couldn't stand it. It was the second time that Red X made her feel unsafe.

"Of course you can, Aria." Beast Boy said and guided her to his room. She lied down on the bottom bunk and Beast Boy started to climb on the top one, when a small voice stopped him.

"B-Beast Boy?" Aria said and he stopped his climb to look at her. "Could you..." She looked at the spot next to her and he smiled, then nodded. He climbed into bed next to her and pulled the covers on top of them both. "Thank you, Beast Boy."

"Any time, Aria." He said, then kissed her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her, protecting her from the world, as they both drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

**H****APPY BIRTHDAY, G****IRL!**

**FOR ALL OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW THIS, TODAY IS SlientScreaming1944's BIRTHDAY!**

**THIS IS YOUR PRESENT, FROM ME TO YOU! i HOPE ALL YOUR WISHES COME TRUE!**

**AGAIN, MOST OF THIS CHAPTER CAME FROM THE BEAUTIFUL MIND OF HER'S, SO SHOW SOME R-E-S-P-E-C-T!**

**ENJOY THE MOTHER FUDGING STORY!**


	9. New Beginning

Beast Boy's eyes shot open and he woke with a start. There was no reason for his sudden awakening, he just felt like he needed to be awake at that exact moment. He looked at the clock, which read 2:17 a.m. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Aria, who was distressed. He cautiously shook her shoulders to wake her and when he did, her eyes snapped open, just as his did. She sat up, leaned forward and wiped the sweat off her brow.

"What's up?" Beast Boy asked in a raspy morning voice. "Did you have a bad dream again?" Aria nodded her head and sniffled. Beast Boy gently put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into the bed again. They were both lying down in the bed, facing each other.

"It was terrible." She said, still extremely drained. "Red X was there and Diamond was with him and her team. They were in the tower and..." She shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hey, it's alright." Beast By promised her. He pulled her into him and she snuggled her head into his chest. "You're safe with me, Aria." He said and she looked up at him.

"I know I am. Thank you so much." She said, then leaned up to kiss his cheek. After she did, she went back to cuddling into Beast Boy's chest. He cleared his throat.

"Um, Aria?" He asked. "Have you thought about my question?" Aria raised an eyebrow and looked at him again. "About our relationship, I mean." He clarified and Aria smiled, then nodded.

"Yes, Beast Boy." She said. "I want to be yours and I want you to be mine, as long as we can always be friends- even if it doesn't work out for some reason. Okay?" She said and he nodded excitedly and kissed the top of her head. She smiled and yawned. "Good night, BB." She said and closed her eyes.

"Night." He said and let his eyes shut as well. They both let their minds wander as they fell asleep again, waiting for whatever training Robin had in store for them to endure.

A few hours later, it was nearly 7:00 and Aria was the first to wake this time. She found herself wrapped in Beast Boy's arms. She rubbed her eyes as she listened to the heartbeat of the boy she was with. She smiled and sat up, looking at the still sleeping body that belonged to Beast Boy. She leaned into him and very gently pressed her lips into his, in hopes of waking him up. Beast Boy's eye fluttered open as he began to kiss back. Aria smirked.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." She chuckled and let him up. "I didn't think that would really work." Beast Boy's cheeks heated up at the irony of the situation and laughed sheepishly.

"You're the beauty, here." He said and Aria smiled, then kissed him again. When they separated, they locked eyes, wanting desperately to know what the future had to offer them. After a few minutes, Beast Boy sighed and regretfully tore his gaze. "We should head downstairs. Robin's going to come looking for us if we don't."

"Aw, I was looking forward to just staying here with you for a while." Aria whined and Beast Boy kissed those pouting lips of hers.

"We'll have plenty of time later." He said. "Promise. Let's go."

Aria groaned, but did as she was told and stood up, ignoring her morning routine and going to her room so she could brush her messy hair. When she finally emerged from her living quarters, Beast Boy was found waiting for her, like a loyal dog. She chuckled when she laid her eyes on him and they walked hand in hand to the kitchen, where the pair would receive breakfast.

"Waffles, waffles, sure do love them waffles!" Cyborg sang as the new couple walked into the room. Cyborg turned from his work to see the two people who had walked in and smirked. "I guess I should make heart shape waffles today, huh, BB?" He asked and the boy he addressed simply shook his head, but kept his smile.

"Actually, I think an apple will suffice for me today." Aria explained. "I'm not totally starving."

The young girl released her boy's hand and headed over to the refrigerator. She opened it open and retrieved a beautiful red apple out of its contents. She strolled over to the couch and chomped on the apple, drinking the juices and chewing the fruit itself. She watched as Robin had papers laid out on the table before her.

"Well, well. What are you doing, Robin?" Aria asked her leader between mouthfuls of her apple. "Doodling?" Robin shook his head.

"No, I'm making a schedule. Well, more like a 'Who's Going To Train With Aria' chart." The spiky headed leader explained. Aria smiled.

"I get my name in a title of something?" She asked incredulously. "Sweetness." Robin smiled and went back to his chart. "So, who gets me first?" She asked somewhat jokingly.

"This won't come into immediate effect until you're comfortable with training all in itself." Robin stated. "So, we're all going to work together. Especially with The Terrible Trio out and about. You'll need all the help you can get, Aria." Aria's smiled vanished with the last sentence.

She simply nodded and got up to throw away her apple core. When that was done, she was confronted by an excited Starfire.

"Friend!" The alien girl squealed. "Are you not excited for the training today!?" She asked with a huge smile on her face. Aria made a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah, Starfire. It'll be fun." Aria replied. It was a really good thing that Starfire wasn't too keen on deception because Aria didn't mean the words that escaped her lips. "I'm excited too." Starfire beamed with happiness and flew off.

Aria sighed and sat in a chair at the kitchen table- many things buzzing about in her head. She took some slow and deep breaths in attempt to clear her mind of anything that would distract her, when there was a hand that was placed on her shoulder. She turned around, expecting to see Beast Boy or Raven, but instead, it was Red X who had laid his hand on her. Aria let out a terrified scream.

"Aria?" Raven asked in an urgent tone. "What's wrong?" Why couldn't she see X? He was standing right there.

"I-It's X!" Aria exclaimed. "How can you not-"

"It's not real, Aria." Raven stated. "He isn't real. There is no one there." Her voice was calming, but Aria was still unconvinced. "Trust me."

Aria rubbed her eyes and when they were reopened, there was no criminal clasping her shoulder. She let out a breath of relief ran her fingers through her long, white hair.

"Why are they doing this?" She asked quietly. Raven stood in front of her. "And why me, Raven? What did I do?" She was so innocent, but the power inside if her made up for it.

"Maybe we should start training." Cyborg suggested and Robin nodded.

"Good idea. Come one, let's go." Robin commanded and no one argued or rebelled.

The team of six came into the training area and Aria was surprised to see five new pieces of training tools. They was all human sized targets and they were lined up side by side, awaiting their doom.

"Alright, Aria." Raven said, guiding her to where the new equipment was. "First things first. We need to work on your aim." Aria raised an eyebrow.

"But I took out, like, four bad dudes head on." She remembered. "Why do I-"

"That was close range." Raven cut her off. "There will be situations where you can't get closer to the enemy without putting you or your team in any further danger." Aria nodded, understanding what she meant.

Aria stood twenty feet from the first target was. She narrowed her eyes at the thing and put her fist through the air, sending a burst of air forward, but missing the target by five feet. She made the same gesture with her other fist and again missed by five feet.

"Gah! Why is this so difficult!?" Aria exclaimed and did combo shots.

She kicked and sliced the air, making multiple bursts of air, but none of them hit the one thing they needed to. After a time, Aria was panting and sweating. This was getting her nowhere.

"Alright, you need some motivation." Cyborg said to Aria. The tall man smirked and put his hands on Beast Boy's shoulders, then guided him to the target that Aria was attempting to strike. "There, that should do it." He said smugly and walked back to his spot.

"Great idea." Robin complimented.

"Are you guys insane!?" Aria asked, breaking her stance. "I'm going to hurt him!"

"No you won't." Raven said. She put her hands on Aria's shoulders and turned her to face the target. "Just imagine that the target is going to kill Beast Boy." She whispered and walked away so she could watch.

Aria closed her eyes and raised her hands again. When she reopened her eyes and met Beast Boy's, all of her confidence vanished.

"I'm going to hurt him." She said. "I-I'm going to miss and-"

"He's trying to hurt Beast Boy! If you don't take him out, he will die!" Raven exclaimed. "Do it!"

Aria shut her eyes tight at the pressure of her peers. She made her hand flat and reopened her eyes as she slung a wave of air towards the target. She almost couldn't watch the outcome, for fear of hurting Beast Boy, but she hit the target dead on. There were cheers that came from her team and Beast Boy grinned as he walked over to his new girlfriend.

"You did it!" He said and Aria threw her arms around his neck. "I knew you could do it." He said to her and she smiled. Beast Boy kissed her cheek as a reward.

"Well, that made one of us." Aria said and rubbed her wrist. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"You okay?" He asked her and she nodded.

"Yeah, it just that I'm not used to making so many Air Bursts and my body isn't used to using so much energy." She explained. "It's all in the wrists, as they say. They're just a bit sore. I'm fine." She smiled, but Beast Boy smirked.

He raised Aria's hands to his mouth and kissed her wrists to make the pain go away. As he did this action, Aria didn't resist, but her face became the same shape of red as a tomato. There were whistles and coos coming from the group that was watching them.

"That's my boy!" Cyborg cried, wiping a tear of pride. "I've taught you well!" Aria's blush deepened while Beast Boy had a look of pride. Or was it dominance?

"Shut up." Aria said sheepishly. "Robin, can we take a small break? My wrists are killing me." Robin nodded at Aria's request, trying not to make it more awkward than necessary.

"Where shall we go?" Starfire asked and everyone just raised an eyebrow. "Are we not going into the city for our time of rest?" She asked. Everyone turned their attention towards Robin, awaiting an answer.

"I don't see why not." Robin shrugged. "That's a good idea, Star." He complimented and- believe it or not- Starfire's smiled grew even bigger. "Let's head out now. I think the carnival is in town on the docks." Cyborg nodded.

"Yeah, there is. I picked up a lot of activity on the docks." He said, then smirked. "What a perfect first date." Beast Boy scoffed.

"Do you want me to invite Bumble Bee?" The green one asked and Cyborg blushed, then shook his head. "That's what I thought." Aria stared in wonder.

'Why is BB acting so... different? So dominant.' She thought, but was interrupted by Beast Boy's lips being pressed on hers. Even though every kissed they shared was better than the last, this one felt different. 'He used to blush every time we kissed. Does he think I... belong to him? That I'm his property? I did say I wanted to be his, but...' She didn't want to finish her thought.

"Aria, are you alright?" Raven asked her, sensing something was wrong. Aria pulled away from her boyfriend to answer, but he beat her to it.

"She's fine, Raven." Beast Boy said. His voice was almost a growl. "Robin's right. We should head out now." He pecked Aria one last time before walking over to Cyborg.

"Now, you can answer me." Raven said in a quietened voice as she walked to Aria. "Are you alright?" Aria nodded.

"What could possibly be wrong?" She answered her question with a question, but before Raven could point that out, Aria spoke again. "I'm perfectly fine, Raven. Thank you for your concern." She smiled at the dark girl before her and excused herself. "Robin, I assume we'll all be walking there?" Aria asked and her leader nodded.

"That would be best." He agreed. "You can count that as endurance training, I guess." He said with a smile and Aria gave him one in return.

The Titans began to walk towards the docks and passed the Pizza Palace. The group decided to grab a bite to eat before going to the carnival. They got the same three types of pizzas as last time- one pepperoni, one cheese and one veggie lovers'. Aria sat in between Raven and Beast Boy, the latter being on her left. Cyborg was next to Raven, with Robin next to him and Starfire next to him_  
_

"Dang, I'm out of Sunny D." Aria whined. "I'll be right back. Don't do anything hilarious without me." She instructed and Cyborg saluted her. She shook her head, then stood up and walked to the soda fountain.

"Why is Sunny D so popular?" Raven asked, surprised that anyone could stand drinking something so orange. "It's so overrated. I get why _some _people would want to drink it, but still." She made a small rant and nibbled on her slice of pizza.

Beast Boy didn't listen to Raven's speech on artificial flavors and dyes. He was more concerned on where and what his girlfriend was doing. He was in the middle of his search, when the girl he was looking for plopped down right next to him.

"Hey guys, what'd I miss?" She asked. "Did anyone spew soda out of their nose?" Cyborg shook his head and Aria nodded. "Good. I'd hate to miss that." She sipped on her soda, but suddenly stopped and set her soda on the table. "Oh my God." She breathed.

"What is wrong?" Starfire asked.

The five Titans followed Aria's gave to see what made her uneasy and saw something they weren't expecting to. A man with a white tank top, tattered jeans and a left arm, sleeved with tattoos. He was accompanied by a woman with curly, fire red hair, who wore a short, red skirt and leopard patterned platform heels.

"D-Donovan. Catrine." Aria stammered, then rose to her feet. "I expect you want to speak with me." Donovan nodded and Aria took a deep breath before attempting to walk over to him.

"Aria, stop." Beast Boy commanded, coming to his feet as well. They were facing each other as they spoke.

"It's alright. I got this." Aria said with a small smile and passed Beast Boy, ignoring his warning glare.

"Okay, A." Donovan said, folding his arms across his chest. "Let's talk in private." Aria shook her head.

"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of my friends." She said definitively. Catrine scoffed and glared at Aria as she took a step towards her.

"You little brat." She growled. "After all we've done for you- clothed you when you were cold, fed you when you were crying in hunger, providing for you and you go and stab us in the back!?" Catrine raised her hand at Aria, but the latter was too fast and caught her wrist.

"At least the kind of stabbing I did was metaphorical." Aria growled. Catrine suddenly yelped in pain as Aria squeezed her arm. When Aria suddenly realized what she was doing , she released the woman in her grasp. "If you're implying that I'm indebted to you or something, you can just go right home."

"You're so ungrateful." Donovan said, wrapping his arm around Catrine's shoulders. "Baby, go wait in the car." Donovan suggested to Catrine, who nodded and did as she was told. "I can't believe we agreed to help you. Especially considering whar you did. I could've gotten arrested for haboring-"

"Are you _sure _you want to finish that thought?" Aria growled before he could finish his sentence. "I would think hard about your answer." Her voice was menacing and lined with pure hatred. Donovan raised an eyebrow, looked to the Titans and smirked.

"Hm. How sad." He chuckled. "They don't know. Do they?" Aria clenched her fists.

"Shut up, Donovan." She said with bared teeth. "Or you're going to regret opening your fat mouth." Donovan raised his hands in mock-defense and took a single step back.

"Hey, I assumed they knew." He lied. "I mean, they are your friends. Why would you keep your little problem from them?" He was smirking the entire time he spoke. He had something to blackmail Aria with and she knew it. She took a threatening step towards him and lowered her voice.

"I swear, if you say another word I'll make it so you can never speak again." She threatened. "The best part is, I won't have to do a thing. My boyfriend would destroy you. So shut the hell up." She gave him a fair warning, but he didn't listen to it.

He raised his hand when Aria wasn't expecting it and grabbed the corner of her mask. He ripped it off her face, but Aria quickly covered her eyes with her hands, a poor choice, but she wasn't thinking rationally. Donovan grabbed her shoulders, spun her around so she was facing the Titans and pinned her to his body.

"Get off of me!" She screamed. She stuck out her hand and the mask was in her palm in a matter of seconds. She placed it on her face a reopened her eyes to see Beast Boy punch Donovan in the face.

The green boy then phased into a T-Rex and got in Donovan's face. Beast Boy made a deep growling noise as Donovan's knees shook sad badly, he almost collapsed as he ran to his beat up station wagon. Beast Boy ran to Aria's side to make sure she wasn't hurt- physically or emotionally.

"Aria, are you okay?" He asked as she threw her arms around his neck, glad that he was there. She couldn't speak for the moment, but Beast Boy still knew that was definitely not okay.

"What problem did the one called Donovan speak of?" Starfire asked. Everyone else in the team wanted to know just as badly, but Aria wasn't speaking of it at the moment.

"Why me?" Aria whispered so softly, Beast Boy was the only one who heard the question.

"Shh. It's okay." Beast Boy whispered as he stroked the back of her head. "We're going home, now. You guys can still go to the docks, but I'm taking Aria home."

Everyone in the group got the gist that he need to speak to her one on one so he could get some answers. The team simply nodded and began to walk in the direction of the carnival (after paying for their meal, of course). Beast Boy released Aria so he could walk her home and they were silent for the entire walk.

When they finally reached the tower, Aria fell apart and sobbed into her hands as she sat on the couch in the living room. She felt guilty, she was saddened by the events the had just occurred and she was doubting herself. Aria's emotions at this point were extremely unstable.

"Aria." Beast Boy said softly. "Talk to me. Please."

* * *

**Okay, I feel bad for not being 100% original lately. Meh, I'm sure it'll pass, but I just thought I'd give one special person a shout out. The person who gave me the idea of using the ole T-Rex Bit.**

**Splinter1.**

**You're probably not reading this, but who am I to steal the brilliant work of another?**

**Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for giving me the idea and thank everyone else for following reading, reviewing and just being awesome little wankers.**

**Ignore the last part and enjoy the story.**


	10. True Identity

Aria couldn't speak. She was too petrified with her sudden waves of mixed emotions. Her secret was almost revealed and she was fearful of her friends hating her for it. She was crying on the couch in the living of the tower, while Beast Boy was trying to calm her down and get some answers.

"Aria, I need you to talk to me." Beast Boy pleaded. "Whatever's wrong, I can help. I just need you to open up." He put his hand on one of Aria's and she remained still and silent. "Donovan said he was harboring something he could get in trouble for. What did he mean? And why did he rip your mask off?" Aria squeezed her eyes shut.

"I-It was me." She said weakly. She was defeated. She could no longer hide her true identity from her friends. "I-I was the thing that could get him in trouble." Beast Boy tilted his head in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, now more desperate than ever to get information. "What happened to you?"

Aria stood up and began to pace across the living room floor. She sniffled as she ran her fingers through her long, white hair.

"I'm... different." She whispered loud enough for Beast Boy to hear. "I can't explain myself without the rest of the team here." She insisted, wanting all of her friends to understand what was wrong with her. "Please? Can we get them to come here?" She asked, making sure it was all right with Beast Boy.

"Sure." He said definitively. He whipped out his communicator and told Robin to bring the team back home.

Aria sat on the floor, trying to calm herself down and also trying to figure out how she would word her condition to the group. She was taking deep breaths and evening her heart rate when her felt a presence in front of her. She opened her eyes to see a green boy before her.

"Before they get here," Beast Boy began. "Is there anything you want to tell me? In private?" He asked, trying to prepare for the worst case scenario. Aria shook her head and he raised and eyebrow. "Are you positive there's nothing you want to get off your chest?" He insisted and she nodded.

"Y-Yes, Beast Boy." She assured him. "There's nothing I need to say to you." Beast Boy leaned in closer.

"This is your last chance." He warned. "If you have something to say me alone, say it." He order with a low, firm voice that gave Aria chills.

"A-Actually, I have something to ask you." She said, a bit afraid to ask her question. Beast Boy leaned back and nodded, allowing her to ask her question. Aria took a deep breath. "W-What... happened to you? You've been acting... different." She said and Beat Boy folded his arms across his chest.

"Have I?" He asked, daring her to say something else. "Is that so?" Aria gulped.

"N-Never mind, BB." She shook her head. "I-It's nothing, really. I was just... being stupid. I'm sorry." Beast Boy huffed.

"No. You meant it." He said and got closer to Aria. "Tell me. How am I acting?" He asked and Aria nearly trembled. She was scared of the more dominant side of Beast Boy.

"W-Well, you've been acting stronger, I guess." She said and he raised an eyebrow and got so close, their faces were only about six inches away from each other. "A-And by that, I mean you act more... possessive? I-I mean, you used to blush every time we kissed and now..." She trailed off then turned her to the right and looked down.

Beast Boy gently gripped Aria's chin and guided her face to meet his eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before Beast Boy said something that nearly made Aria slap his hands away and run, but she was too fearful of the outcome of those actions.

"Get used to it." Beast Boy's voice was almost a growl. A sudden burst of adrenaline filled the room as Aria had thoughts of running away. "I don't know if you know this, but I am an animal, after all. My instincts tell me that I have to be dominant to survive and you can't just suppress millions of years of evolution, can you?" He said and Aria gulped.

"B-Beast Boy, what are you-"

"It's not that I'm going to hurt you, Aria." Beast Boy cut Aria's thought off with a warning. "However, if you're not careful, you'll wish I had." He promised and Aria whimpered. "Shh, it's alright. I do care about you, Aria, don't doubt that, but this is just the way I am." Beast Boy said. "If I could help it, I would, but I can't, so I won't."

"Y-You are in control of what you do, Beast Boy." Aria said and Beast Boy sighed.

"I wish it were that simple." He said. "Tell you what, if you listen to me, we won't have any issues, okay?" He asked and Aria hesitated, but nodded. "Good girl. Now, let's keep this conversation to ourselves, shall we?"

"Y-Yes, Beast Boy." She said, terrified. Beast Boy smiled and gently pressed his lips into Aria's.

Aria's fear melted away. She knew that she had a good reason to be afraid at that moment, but she also had many other reasons to trust Beast Boy's judgement. She knew that Beast Boy doesn't want to hurt her and if something happened it would be her fault not his. What Aria didn't know was that she was wrong. Beast Boy was right, his genes told him to be the strongest to live, but it was still him. It was his body, his life, and he needs to learn that sooner, rather than later.

Beast Boy leaned more into Aria until she was on her back and he was on top of her. Every time the two kissed, Aria felt as if she could walk into a battle with no armor and come out unharmed. Aria cupped Beast Boy's face in her hands as Beast Boy ran his tongue on her bottom lip, wanting entry. Aria hesitantly obliged and opened her mouth to let him in. Beast Boy slipped his tongue around Aria's mouth and she moaned, not caring about anything more than Beast Boy at that very moment, but the two were interrupted.

"You should really put a sock on the door." Instead of it being one of the Titans, it was Diamond, leader of the Terrible Trio.

Beast Boy pulled away from Aria and quickly came to his feet, standing in front of his girl in a defensive position. He released a low growl that said 'If you don't leave now, expect to not leave at all'. Diamond only smirked as a figure appeared behind Beast Boy.

Sonic Boom kicked Beast Boy in the back and he flew forward five feet. Aria attempted to crawl over to him, only to be grabbed by the waist by Sonic Boom.

"Gah! Let go!" She cried. "You're not real! You're not real!" She chanted, trying to convince herself that her words were true, but they had no effect. The two villains were still there and Aria was still pinned to Sonic Boom's body, immobile.

"You sure about that, cutie?" A third voice asked. Suddenly, a man named Red X manifested in front of Aria. She gasped and struggled to get free, but couldn't. "Aw, you know, it hurt me to see you making out with that guy." Red X said, gesturing to Beast Boy's body. "I guess I'll have to punish you for that."

Aria glared at him and quickly sucked in a deep breath then blew it at Red X, sending him across the room. Aria's arms were pinned to her sides, so the only thing she could do with her hands were send Air Bursts through the floor. However, there was something she could do with her feet. Aria stuck her legs straight out in front of her and sent air from her feet, making her and her captor slam into the wall behind them. Sonic Boom, being in pain, released his grip and Aria ran from him to check on Beast Boy, but again was confronted.

"You're going to pay for that one." It was Silhouette who blocked Aria's path of Beast Boy. Aria attempted to use her arm for an Air Burst attack, but she couldn't move it. Upon further investigation, Aria found that her entire body, aside from her head, was engulfed in the dark angel's Dark Magic.

"Thanks for detaining her." Diamond said as she helped Sonic Boom to his feet. "You alright?" She asked and the silent one nodded.

"Aria, you sure pack a punch." Red X complimented. Aria nearly had tears in her eyes, but she wasn't about to make herself seem weak in the eyes of the enemy.

"What do you want from me, X?" She demanded. The darkly clothed one took a step towards Aria.

"Your allegiance." He said simply. Aria raised an eyebrow and Red X sighed. "To show my trust in you and to have you trust me a bit more, I will have Silhouette over here release you if, and only if, you promise not to attack." Silhouette scoffed.

"Yeah right." She said. "You've got to-"

"And if you do attack, we'll just have to make you life hell, won't we, Silly?" Rd X said, throwing in his nick name for her. Silhouette smirked at that idea and Red X returned his attention to Aria. "So, do you promise?" He asked and Aria narrowed her eyes, but eventually nodded.

Silhouette slowly diminished her grip on Aria until there was nothing holding the young girl back at all. Aria extended her arms to stretch them out.

"Better?" Red X asked and Aria nodded. She looked at Beast Boy's unconscious body and walked over to it. She took a knee next to her beaten boyfriend and stroked the back of his head.

"What do you want from me?" She asked and turned her head to look at Red X. She came to her feet and took a step closer to him. "Why are you doing this?" Red X chuckled.

"Don't be so naive, Aria." He said and raised his hand to cup her left cheek. "You know what I want." Aria shoved the hand away from her face.

"Do I?" She asked and folded her arms across her chest. "Why don't you just stop playing these damn games with me and give me a straight answer for once?" She ordered and got an amused chuckle as a response.

"Well, let's see." Red X said, tapping his chin with his index finger. "I'm a bad guy, as your friends see me, and what do bad guys want? Money and power."

"I thought you said you weren't a bad guy." Aria said, pointing a finger at Red X's chest.

"Yeah, about that, I kind of lied." Red X admitted. Aria scoffed. "But that was the only way you'd lower your guard so I could talk to you. But that's beside the point. I want to have you as an addition to my team."

"Well, it's more like my team, but with a second leader." Diamond corrected and made her way over so she was standing next to Red X. "He's not wrong, though. We want you, Aria. Your powers are impressive and-"

"No way!' Aria cried. "There's no way I'm going to leave me friends-"

"Friends?" Red X asked and again gestured to Beast Boy. "He just threatened you not even five minutes ago. Can you really say you trust him more than us?"

Aria warily looked at the green body and back at the group of four.

"I... I don't know..." She said. "Maybe." Red X was smirking under his mask.

"Then join us." Diamond offered and a soft, persuasive tone.

"What the hell!?" Another voice cried from the door leading into the hallway. The group looked in the direction of the voice and saw the leader of the Teen Titans, accompanied by the other three members of the team, in the doorway. "Aria, run!"

Aria tried to listen to the order given by her superior, but Red X grabbed her wrists before she could make a break for it. He pulled her close and Silhouette got her cape and draped it over the five of them, transporting them to the Terrible Trio's lair.

"Shit!" Cyborg swore. "We're too late."

* * *

**Sorry to leave you guys hanging and sorry it took so long, but exams are coming at school and it's not so good. **

****I'm thinking of making an Ironman: Armored Adventures story****

**Thoughts? **

**Review, please! See ya' when I see ya'!**


	11. Acceptance

"Beast Boy!" Starfire called out to her groggy friend. She flew over to him and he groaned.

"Ugh." He groaned as Starfire helped him stand erect. "What... happened? Where's Aria? What happened to the Trio?" He asked. The blow he received was quite powerful and he was nearly knocked completely unconscious, so it wasn't odd that he didn't remember anything.

"BB, the Trio took her." Cyborg informed his friend. Beast Boy's eyes grew wide, but Cyborg continued to speak, dismissing the reaction he'd expected. "Do you have any idea where they went? Did you hear anything at all that might tell us?"

Beast Boy scratched his head, deep in thought, running his last memories through his mind. They included him threatening Aria to get her to behave herself. A twang of guilt ran through his body. He was only now aware of how rudely he had been acting towards her. He then remembered the gleam of pure horror in Aria's grey eyes. He groaned, knowing how much emotional trauma he'd caused her.

"What is it?" Raven asked, feeling many mixed emotions emanating from the short, green Titan. "Do you know where they went?" Beast Boy shook his head.

"No. I wish I did, but I don't." He said, nearly choking on his guilt. "I know that we need to find her. _I _need to find her." He rubbed the back of his neck, wondering and hoping that Aria would forgive him. Robin put a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder.

"We will." He said. "I promise."

Beast Boy nodded, knowing that Robin wasn't one to go back on his word. Robin nodded in Raven's direction and she gave him one in return. She glided over to the same spot where Aria stood before she was obtained by the enemy. She felt the ground and investigated the area, in hopes of finding a spiritual trace of Aria or Red X or the Terrible Trio. Cyborg went over to the super computer to try to pin point Aria's location from the tracking device he'd planted on her. Starfire assisted him, while Robin pulled Beast boy to the side.

"Hey, did she tell you anything?" Robin asked in a hushed tone, trying not to disturb the others in their work. "Anything about what Donovan was going on about?" Beast Boy shook his head.

"She didn't want to talk about it without all of you here, so she didn't." Beast Boy replied, fighting off the lump in his throat. Robin raised an eyebrow, hearing the air that was hitched in Beast Boy's throat.

"Are you sure that's it?" The leader pressed. "Nothing else?" Beast Boy sighed.

"Yeah, Robin." He said, getting annoyed the Robin wouldn't just drop it. "I'll be right back. I'm going to the bathroom." He quickly excused himself and exited the room, feeling Robin's eyes on his back as he left.

Beast Boy quickly dashed through the halls and flew into his room, being sure to lock the door behind him. He released a breath, glad to be out of that crowed room, and walked into his bathroom. He glanced in the mirror then turned on the faucet of the sink. He washed his hands and splashed cold water in his face, knowing that he needed to be alert and agile at that moment. He dabbed his face dry and looked back in the mirror. He kept a blank face.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked his reflection.

"What's wrong with _you_?" The reflection repeated, putting emphasis on the last word. Beast Boy's face was not the one in the glass. It was a grueling, mangy creature with hair all over its body and snarling, menacing teeth. "What happened to you, Beast Boy? We used to be so powerful together, you and I. You've grown soft."

"I haven't." He bit back, teeth clenched. "I only found my true path. I'm a kindhearted person. I am not you." The reflection laughed.

"Then riddle me this- Why am I here?" He asked. Beast Boy remained silent and the monster chuckled. "Exactly."

"You were a mistake." Beast Boy snapped. "An accident. It was damn Adonis' fault. If was wasn't snooping around those chemicals-"

"Then you would never have found out what you're capable of." The monster cut him off. "Admit that you've never had _my _kind of power before. We dominated. You can't deny that you enjoyed it, Beast Boy. Don't even attempt to lie to me."

Beast Boy looked away from the mirror. The monster had a point. When Beast Boy lost control, and the true beast form of himself took over, he enjoyed the adrenaline, but hated the aftermath. Not recalling whatever he'd done, not having any control at all, the physical toll it held on his body. He decided the bad out weighed the good. He didn't like it.

"Shut your mouth." Beast Boy snarled. The monster smirked.

"You see?" He asked. "The hatred. It feels good, doesn't it?" Beast Boy shook his head.

"I know what you're up to." He warned. "And it won't work."

"Oh?" The monster mused. "Enlighten me." Beast Boy narrowed his eyes.

"You're scared." He stated. "You're terrified of Aria. Why? Because you know that I love her more than I hate anyone else. You. You are trying to drive a wedge between us by trying to make me act like a bastard toward her, but guess what. I'm too strong for you. You will lose." The monster sneered.

"Listen, boy, if you know what's good for you-"

"It's a good thing I don't know a lot." Beast Boy smirked.

He turned off the lights and leaped out of the bathroom. He eyed the door and chuckled at himself, knowing he did the right thing. He opened the door and made a trek down the hall to rejoin the others in their attempts to locate Aria.

Meanwhile, away from the tower and under the people of Jump City's feet, Aria was being restrained in the lair of the Terrible Trio and Red X. She was in an empty room, wrists bound by chains, which were attached to two foot high metal posts. She was sitting in the center of the room. Her head was hanging in defeat. She'd been captured, beaten. There was nothing she could do. Having her wrists bound made it difficult for her to use her powers.

"So, what do we do with her?" Diamond asked from an observation window, peering into the box of a room. "I think she's gone mute on us." Sonic Boom nodded, agreeing with that assumption. Red X, who was in the corner, shook his head.

"Nope." He said. He slowly walked to the window, ignoring the confused glances from his teammates. "She's not that easy to break." Silhouette scoffed.

"And you know this how?" She asked. This member of the Terrible Trio was sitting on a chair with her feet propped up on a table. "You've had, what, two conversations with her? Give me a break." She shook her head and reclined. Red X rolled his eyes and turned to Diamond.

"Mind if I talk to her?" He asked. He didn't really care what Diamond said; he was going to talk to Aria. Diamond shrugged.

"Be my guest." She gestured towards the window and Red X nodded, then disappeared and reappeared in the small container.

Aria flinched, but quickly composed herself. She kept her eyes away from the man in the room with her. She sat up straight and kept her head forward. Red X sighed and attempted to get in her line of sight, only to be shunned by Aria. He sighed a second time.

"Hey, sour puss." He said. Aria snapped her head in Red X's direction and gave him a hard glare. "There's no need to be like that." Aria scoffed and rose slowly to her feet.

"No need?" She repeated incredulously. "You assault my boyfriend, try to tell me that I have no business trusting the Titans _and _you abduct me and you say there's no need for me to be a _'sourpuss' _?" Aria put air quotes around the last two words. "You've got to be kidding me!" She howled. Red X tilted his head.

"You still trust them?" He asked as if it were the most absurd thing he'd heard in ages. "I thought my little speech put them out of your mind." Aria shook her head defiantly.

"You were wrong." She said, daring him to try again. Red X held up his hands in mock defense.

"Well, excuse me." He said sarcastically. "I believe I made you a pretty damn good offer, though. Join us and you'll have at all...and then some." He reached out to Aria's face to tuck some hair behind her hair, but Aria anticipated this from him and snatched Red X's wrist from the air.

"Don't. You. Touch. Me." She turned every word into an individual sentence. She violently pushed Red X's arm away from her body. "You're going to get in _so _much trouble. Beast Boy is looking for me and when he finds me, he'll-"

"He'll what?" Red X question before Aria's thought was complete. "He'll take you back to the Titans' Tower and what? Threaten you some more? Insist that his behavior isn't his fault? Let's be honest, Aria."

Aria stared at Red X. How dare he? She care deeply for Beast Boy and saying these things about him to her was the worst thing someone could possibly do. She'd admitted to herself that she was weak when she was ambushed in the tower, but she had also regained her strength and composed herself.

"Bad guys are a close-knit family, Aria." Red X said, taking a half-step closer to Aria. "Closer than your precious heroes could ever hope to be. We bust family out of prison, provide back up when the goody-goodies interfere with our... recreational activities. We've been watching you. _I've _been watching you and I know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past." Aria gasped.

"You don't know _anything _about me!" She cried. "How could you!? You are not my friend, X! I'll admit, I thought we could be, but you're a deceitful, intolerable, bast-" Aria was cut off when Red X covered her mouth with his hand.

"Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" Red X asked and Aria once again shoved his hand away from her. He sighed. "I'm giving you a choice here. Go back to the Titans, where you'll live in fear of your... _boyfriend,_" There was a hint of jealousy in his voice, "Or you could stay here, with me. You can't deny that you feel safe with me."

Aria looked to the bottom right corner of the room they were in. He was right. Aria felt secure in that small, box of a room with Red X there. She wasn't sure if it was because he had a soft spot for her or if it was because _she _had a soft spot for _him. _

"I... I can't stay here." Aria said in barely a whisper. "I... just..." She didn't know what to say anymore. She hadn't given up, rather, she was confused. Red X took a hold of Aria's chin, and this time, Aria didn't resist. He guided Aria's grey eyes to his own and they stared intently.

"I'll leave you to think about it." He said after a time of silence. "Think hard, but don't take too long. I'm not a patient person." He quickly pecked Aria on the cheek and vanished in a second. Aria gasped at the connection Red X made.

She sat down and crossed her legs. She closed her eyes and tried to get a spiritual connection with Raven. She thought extremely hard, clenching and un-clenching her teeth, breaking a sweat and letting a drop of salt water run down her forehead.

_Hello! Raven! A-Are you there? Anyone! Raven, please!_

Aria pleaded, wanting to contact her friend. She begged for someone to be able to hear her silent cries for so long, she lost track of time.

_Aria?_

Was that in Aria's head? Was it someone in the room with her? Aria peeked an eye open and saw that she was still alone. She closed her eyes again.

_Raven, it's me! Help! I'm in the Trio's lair a-and I'm scared!_

_Aria, everything will be okay. Just sit tight. We're trying to pinpoint were you are._

_O-Okay, Raven. Please hurry!_

"Hey." A voice broke through Aria connection that she'd tried so hard to make. Aria snapped her eyes open.

"Huh?" Aria gasped. She looked around and saw Diamond in the room with her. Aria narrowed her eyes. "Can I help you, Glitter Girl?" Diamond chuckled.

"You can call me Diamond." She informed Aria. "I thought you might be hungry, so..." Diamond tossed a bag of potato chips at Aria, who just eyed them suspiciously. Diamond rolled her eyes. "I didn't poison them or anything. Relax." Diamond turned to exit, but was stopped.

"Why?" Aria asked. Diamond turned to face her with a raised eyebrow. "You have a cute little trio, Diamond. Why do you want _me _so badly?" Diamond sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"Don't you ever listen?" Diamond asked. "With you part of our team, we would get more and pretty much have whatever we want."

"But it's wrong. It's stealing from hard-working-"

"Aria, please. You used to think the same way we did at one point." Diamond reminded Aria, who hung her head in shame.

Before Aria lived with Donovan and his girlfriend, she lived on the road, roaming around, working for table scraps. She decided that wasn't enough and began to steal things instead of waiting around for someone to throw away a pizza crust she could have for dinner.

"But... I... I had no other choice." Aria tried to reason. Diamond sighed and took a knee before her prisoner.

"Neither do we." She said. "The Titans get their funding from the city. Where are we supposed to find income? Jobs are scarce these days and, if it's for the greater good of my team, I will take things that don't belong to me. We don't have a choice, just the same as you didn't, and we aren't going to judge you for those mistakes. Instead, we encourage them. Image how the Titans would react when they find out."

Aria thought hard about what Diamond just said. She was now questioning her true path. Was she good? Bad? She didn't know. She didn't know whether or not to succumb to the persuasive Diamond or to the seductive Red X.

"I..." Aria stalled. She sighed. "I don't know anymore."

* * *

**BAM! Look at all the drama!**

**Hey, _AMZ, _I hope you feel better about BB now!**

**_SilentScreaming1944, _the Terrible Trio finally got their hooks into Aria! *Gasp*  
**

**Will Aria go back to the Titans?**

**Will she turn into the most fierce and feared bad girl?**

**Review! **


	12. Denial

Diamond nodded and stood up. She had also been in Aria's position before. Being bad wasn't the first career choice she had in mind, but it was the only one she could find. At first, it was just pick-pocketing people in the street, but now, she's full-on robbing banks and armored cars. She was in no rush to get a response from the powerful girl before her.

"Eat. I'll be back later." Diamond promised. Aria nodded and the glitter girl vanished, only to reappear on the other side of the one way glass.

Aria sighed and ripped open the bag of potato chips, being a little famished. She cautiously placed a single chip in her mouth, tasting nothing strange, and chewed it. She continued this pattern until the bag was empty.

"I feel bad for her." The usually heartless and sarcastic Diamond said. "She looks lost. Man, do I want her to join us."

"And she will." Red X said, standing next to Diamond. Silhouette and Sonic Boom were currently training and out of the room. "Look at her eyes. She looks like she's leaning in our direction."

"How can you be so sure?" Diamond raised an eyebrow. "I doubt she's easily influenced. Like you said, she's a strong girl, that one." Red X nodded.

"Exactly." He said. "Don't you think she could bust out of here single handedly at any time if she wanted to? She hasn't once tried to escape. You know what that means? It means she is seriously considering joining us." Diamond chuckled.

"So, what? All we have to do is apply a little more pressure and she's as good as bad?" She asked and Red X nodded. "That's so deliciously evil."

"Isn't it great?" Red X asked, then sighed. "She's right, though."

"About what?" Diamond turned to Red X and leaned against the glass. Red X turned to her as well.

"The Titans are looking for her, after all." Red X explained. "They're going to have a whole new type of determination. They think their teammate's life is hanging in the balance. What length would you go to if Sonic were kidnapped by the good guys?" Diamond stiffened. "Exactly."

"Hey." Aria called from the room. Her voice came through a small speaker box to the right of the window and behind Diamond. "Could I lose the chains, please?" She asked.

Diamond looked at Red X, who nodded. Diamond spun around and grabbed a set of keys from a hook that was behind her. She then appeared into the small quarters that served as a confinement facility. Aria didn't react when Diamond showed up in front of her. She had anticipated it, so she wasn't scared. She was actually beginning to not hate the Trio and Red X. Diamond, without a word, walked over to her prisoner, stuck the key into the lock that was on her wrist cuff and turned it, freeing Aria's hand.

"Thanks." Aria said after Diamond released her other wrist. Aria was soothing her sore hands as Diamond nodded.

"Sure." She said and disappeared for the second time. Aria sighed and stretched.

'They aren't _too _terrible.' Aria thought while bending down to touch her toes. 'Maybe I should...No! What am I saying? I'm not them. I'm not...evil. Am I?'

Aria stood up and looked at her reflection in the one way glass. She touched her face and her hair. Who was she? She didn't even know anymore.

"Maybe it's time I lost the mask." She whispered to herself. "A few mistakes can turn into a lot, right? Why postpone the inevitable? This isn't even my true form."

Aria was talking to herself, unaware that others were watching. On the other side of the glass, Red X and Diamond were watching with wide eyes. They had no idea what was happening. Did their prime target for a new member of the team go insane within a few short hours?

"What the hell is going on?" Diamond hissed. "What is she talking about? This isn't her true form? What does that even mean?"

"After years of conditioning," Aria went on, staring blankly at her reflection. "It hasn't occurred to me to just...be bad." Aria laughed wryly. "Duh. Why didn't I see it? It was right in front of me..." Aria reached out in front of her and lightly touched the glass. "So obvious." She whispered.

"I don't know what she's talking about." Red X whispered. Aria's head snapped in the direction of Red X, like she heard him. "Did she hear me?" He asked and Aria smiled.

"I think that's a yes." Diamond whispered. Aria chuckled.

"Why be good?" She asked. "When you can do whatever you want?" Diamond smiled.

"You've accepted our offer, then?" The leader asked and Aria shook her head.

"It's called stalling." She said.

Diamond gasped and spun around only in time to see Starfire kick her in the face. Diamond was slammed so hard against the glass, it knocked the wind right out of her. Robin went head on with Red X as Raven phased through the glass to retrieve the stolen Aria. Cyborg and Beast Boy were busy keeping Sonic Boom and Silhouette away from the scene. Raven grabbed a hold of Aria and whipped out her communicator.

"Titans, fallback!" She commanded and disappeared under her cloak with Aria. Starfire left her fight to pick up Robin and flew away. Beast Boy phased into a pterodactyl and carried Cyborg out of the lair they worked so hard to find.

The six of them regrouped in the Titans' Tower. Raven actually _did _hug Aria, seeing that she was safe and unharmed. The next group to arrived was Starfire and Robin, the former nearly squeezing the air out of Aria's lungs.

"Friend! I knew we would find you! Oh, how I missed you!" Starfire cheered. "I am glad you are undamaged!" Aria laughed and returned the embrace that was given to her.

"Me too, bud." Aria said simply. She was soon released and it was then Robin's turn to hug his friend.

"We missed you, Aria." He said as Aria's head fit perfectly in the nape of his neck. "Don't scare us like that again, okay?" He asked and Aria laughed.

"Yeah, sorry." Robin released her and looked into her gray eyes.

"It's good to have you back." He said.

"Where is she!?" A high pitched, male voice asked as he entered the living room where the group of five already were.

"BB!" Aria cried. They ran into each other's arms and Beast Boy kissed the top of Aria's head.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized. "Sorry for letting them take you. Sorry for being an asshole. Sorry for everything." With each pause, Beast Boy pressed his lips onto Aria's head. Aria pulled back.

"It's okay." She forgave. "It wasn't you fault. You-"

"No, it was my fault." Beast Boy admitted. "It was...something inside of me. Something I don't like. I can control it and I _will _control it for you." Beast Boy kissed his girl's nose and leaned into his girl until their foreheads touched. "I will _never _lose control with you again."

"Alright, alright." Cyborg interrupted the moment. "Step aside, bud. Let me get a hug in." Beast Boy smirked and released Aria after planting a warm kiss on her lips. "Good to have ya' back, girl!"

Cyborg wrapped his arms around Aria's shoulders and picked her off of the ground. He spun her around and Aria squealed. Cyborg laughed at Aria's reaction to his affection. Aria had her eyes shut tight and had a grin stretched across her face. Cyborg set her down and tussled her hair while doing so.

Everyone temporarily forgot about Aria's interrogation at that moment. Everyone was glad to have her back home, safe and sound. Cyborg beefed up the security of the tower to keep Aria safe and she was to continue her training immediately, meaning the next day. The sun was setting by the time the homecoming celebration- which included ice cream sundaes- ended. Eventually, Beast Boy was challenged to a videogame competition and was forced to leave Aria for a short time. She was fine with it, though. She had other things to worry about.

'I can't believe I almost went dark again.' Aria thought to herself. 'It only took a few hours for me to lose it? After all my conditioning and hard work? Never again.' Aria shivered.

"Are you alright?" The familiar raspy, feminine voice belonging to Raven asked. Aria looked up at her witch of a friend and smile.

"Yeah, just...cold is all." Aria said.

Raven nodded, having no reason not to believe her, and walked away. Aria sighed and rubbed her temples. There was suddenly an arm around her shoulders that pulled her into a warm body. Aria smiled and allowed Beast Boy to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"I lost." Beat Boy said with a smile. Arai chuckled.

"Good for you?" She asked and Beast Boy laughed. Aria rested her head in the nape of her boy's neck and Beast Boy held onto her. Aria's mind kept on racing.

'I can't believe it.' She silently told herself. 'I almost gave all this up and for what? People who don't deserve it? Yeah, right. I can never forget what I have.' Aria slowly shut her eyes, only to be addressed moments later.

"Hey," It was Beast Boy. "Do you want to go to bed?" He asked.

Aria yawned, unaware of how tired she was, and nodded. Beast Boy smiled and picked Aria up, bridal-style. Aria made a small squealing noise and allowed the boy to carry her away. She had her arms wrapped around his neck as he walked. Robin and Starfire had gone to bed, so Beast Boy merely nodded goodbye to the remaining two. They made the trek to Aria's room and as they stepped passed the threshold, Aria pouted.

"What?" Beast Boy asked innocently. Aria looked up at him.

"Aren't you going to stay?" She asked and he chuckled, then nodded. Aria's pout was quickly replaced with a satisfied smile.

Beast Boy returned the smile and set Aria on the bed. He allowed her to settle into the covers before crawling in next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, feeling to warmth of her body melt into his. Aria giggled softly, nestling the back of her head into the nape of Beast Boy's neck.

"Hey, Aria?" Beast Boy asked after Aria got comfortable.

"Hm?" She asked, on the verge of sleeping.

"What's under your mask?" Beast Boy asked as simply as if he were asking about the weather.

Aria tensed up so badly, Beast Boy felt her stiffness instantly. Though he felt her distress, Beast Boy remained silent, allowing Aria to process what was to come out of her mouth. Aria sat there, wide-eyed and speechless. What was she to say to this boy? The truth? No. Lie? She couldn't handle that. Nothing was the best option for her, so she didn't respond at all.

"Aria?" Beast Boy said after a long time of no sounds.

"BB," Aria sighed, attempting to elude the question for one more night. "I'm tired and I don't want to talk about it. Can we please just...not?"

Beast Boy tightened his grip a bit, thinking about the offer. He couldn't let it go. He knew he couldn't. There was something he needed to know desperately, but Aria was trying hard to keep it to herself. He knew that he couldn't press extremely hard, in fear of losing her entirely, but he did need to apply just a bit of pressure.

"Are you sure?" He whispered into her ear. Aria shivered as she felt his breath on her neck. "Please?" Aria swallowed hard.

"N-No, Beast Boy. I need to rest." Aria said shakily. "In the morning. I promise."

Beast Boy sighed again and nodded. He shut his eyes and listened around the room. The even breathing coming from Aria, the subtle buzzing of the air conditioning and the distant noises of Jump City were all very calming for the green hero. He eventually let his mind wander as he slowly drifted to sleep.


	13. It Hurts To Protect

_Tornadoes. Her own element was tearing apart Aria's family. She couldn't control this one. It was too strong. Too powerful. Even Raven couldn't get it under wraps, no matter what spell she cast. Aria's eyes had that evil film over them, just like they did the night when Sonic Boom toyed with her mind. She was causing all this destruction._

_Emanating__ from the roof of the Titans' Tower, a massive cyclone was tearing apart the structure itself. The innocent screams and shouts from the citizens of Jump City were audible from the small island. Aria's sobs were loud. She wasn't at all affected by the storm she created. A wicked cackle sounded from behind her._

_"Evil, little Aria." It was Diamond from The Terrible Trio. "I knew you were a bad egg, but this? It's beautiful." _

_Completely oblivious to the current weather anomaly Diamond began to twirl around on the roof with her cat-like balance. She shoved her hand in her pocket and threw a handful of glitter into the air, watching it swirl around the environment._

_"Pure corruption!" Silhouette commented, loving the evil almost as much as her leader. Sonic Boom was just standing there, studying the beautiful accident._

_"Now do you see?" Red X was the next to speak, sitting right in front of Aria. "You aren't cut out for this...good girl character you're trying to play. It's all an act. Even I can see that. Do yourself a favor and just...be bad."_

_Aria gasped at the mere thought. She wasn't bad, or, at least, she didn't want to be. Her nature wasn't what she wanted, and she would do anything to change what she was, but she can't. Nothing can be done to save her from herself._

_"Never!" Aria screeched, frantic. "You want me to be bad!? Don't you understand!? I can't be bad! I have to be good! I have to be!"_

_"Aria!" Red X laughed. "Forgive me, but what exactly do you call this?" He asked, motioning to the enormous twister that Aria had incidentally created. "Doesn't look too good to me."_

_"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Aria ran away from him, covering her ears to keep from hearing anything else he had to say. "I hate you, I hate you! Get away from me!" She yelled, not caring about where she was going, even when she was headed straight for the tornado._

_She gasped before realizing that she was in the eye of the storm. She was in the dead center of it, watching the mayhem unfold from the point of view of the storm itself._

Aria's eyes opened quickly, searching for some sign of life. She turned her head around to see the still snoring body of Beast Boy. She sighed and sat up straight, searching for her clock. When she found it, she discovered the it was 7:04 in the morning. Aria smiled and turned to Beast Boy for a second time. He was still asleep, a good thing on her end.

Aria slowly crept out of bed, being sure not to wake the boy up. She floated swiftly to her dresser, to eliminate any extraneous creaking of the floor boards, and looked in the mirror. Her mask, still in place, was staring back at her in the reflection. Aria lightly traced the outline of the mask, as if she were silently saying goodbye. Aria then moved her attention to her hair, which was usually straight, but this morning was curled at the ends.

Aria's eyes widened at this discovery and she quickly grabbed her brush to straighten out the waves in her soft, white hair. She pulled her hair over her left shoulder, so it was easier to brush, and made a third discovery. On the right side of her neck, there was a small mark. It was a perfectly straight, equilateral triangle, that was all black.

"No." Aria whispered. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Beast Boy had stirred, but he hadn't. Aria let out the breath she was holding and returned to her reflection. "Something bad is going to happen today. I can feel it." She whispered to herself.

Aria headed for the bedroom door, after grabbing her shoes off the floor, and opened it up. She scanned the halls and slipped out of her bedroom. She turned a corner and found the door she was looking for. She opened it up, revealing a flight of stairs and soared upwards, before finding another door. She then opened that one and found herself outside, on the roof of the Titans' Tower.

"This is where the dream was." Aria sighed to herself. "If only I knew what it meant. Will...Will today be the day?" She asked herself quietly. Even though she was alone, she was still fearful of someone- anyone- hearing her.

Aria slowly levitated to the center of the roof. The sun was shining down on her, but she didn't feel the warmth. She looked at the sky, but didn't see the blue, a million things buzzing about in her mind. Was everything she worked so hard for about to vanish? Was her world about to crumble beneath her own two feet? She didn't know, but she had a strong feeling that this day would be a bad one.

"Hey." A male voice said from behind her. Aria, startled, gasped and spun around to see the leader of the Teen Titans. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." Robin said.

"What are you doing up here?" Aria asked, ignoring the apology. Robin just raised an eyebrow.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." He said. Aria only stared at him, having no excuse prepared.

What was she to say to him? Admit she'd had another nightmare or vision or whatever they were? No. That would only worry him and she didn't feel like doing that to anyone else. Lie? No. He would know if she was telling the truth or not. Silence was safest in her book.

"Hungry?" Robin asked after a moment of Aria's self conflict.

"Uh, yeah." She stammered. "I could eat."

Robin smiled then motioned for Aria to follow him down the stairs. As soon as his back was turned, Aria found herself scowling at him. She was annoyed that he had interrupted her thinking and barged in on her without a good reason. She caught herself with this facial expression and forced herself to relax the muscles in her face. She had to remember that she was with the good guys. She had to.

The pair walked back downstairs and down the hall until they reached the living room, where everyone else was gathered and eating. The first one to see them was Raven, but she kept it low-key, wanting to study Aria and determine her mental stability.

"Aria!" Beast Boy's voice called. "Why didn't you wake me up?" He was walking towards her as he spoke. Aria managed a small smile.

"I didn't want to disturb you." She lied. All she wanted was a few minutes to herself. "Sorry." Beast Boy smiled.

"It's okay. Breakfast?" He offered and Aria nodded, accepting the offer.

Raven was watching intently when her thoughts were put on hold when a body sat next to her. It belonged to Robin.

"What's going on?" He asked, being the only one seeming to notice Raven's suspicious glances. "Why are you hounding Aria's every move? She's back. Isn't that a good thing?" Raven inhaled and closed her eyes.

"How did she know we were there?" Raven answered his questions with a question. Robin simply replied with a puzzled look. "Exactly. She started talking about being bad before I even told her we were in. What if the speech she made was more than just a distraction? What if she was really considering turning bad?"

"Hm." Robin hummed. "Those are all very good questions, Raven. Why don't you ask her yourself?" Raven shook her head.

"Do you think she'll tell me the truth?" She asked rhetorically. "That's doubtful. And what do you think she meant by 'conditioning' herself to be good?"

"Another good question." Robin said coolly. Raven opened her eyes to glare at him. "But, the only way to know for sure and get the answers are to hear them from Aria, herself. And did you notice the mark on her neck? The little triangle? That wasn't there before, was it?"

Raven shook her head and they both turned to watch Aria pick at the food Cyborg had placed in front of her. Aria's face was sullen and glued to her plate. She was avoiding eye contact with anyone and everyone. Raven narrowed her eyes and focused on trying to read Aria's thoughts, but she couldn't penetrate the walls of her mind. Raven let out a frustrated sigh.

"Cut it out." Robin ordered, not bothering to look at Raven. "If Aria thinks we need to know whatever is going on with her, she'll tell us. Trust me." Raven looked at Robin and sighed before nodding.

"Alright, Robin." She said reluctantly. "I just...I hope you know what you're getting all of us into." For the first time in a very long time, Raven was doubting her leader's judgement.

"Friends!" Starfire called to Raven and Robin. "Are we not training today? Are we having another one of you Earth's 'day off's?" Robin looked around the room to get see everyone's face. He got a good look at everyone, except Aria. She was still refusing to look at anyone.

"Aria." Robin called. Aria slowly looked in his direction, waiting for him to speak again. "What do you think? Are you up to it?"

"Uh..." Aria stalled. She looked at Beast Boy who was smiling and gave a very slight grin in return. "Sure, Robin. Let's do it." Cheers came from the three members of the team who didn't have a reason to fret.

"Boo-yah!" Cyborg cried. "This is gonna be epic!"

* * *

**Yeah, I know. Sucky, short chappie, but hey, it's something.**

**anyway, I know I'm a jerk for all the cliffhangers, but _spoiler alert _and _spoiler alert _because _spoiler alert _and I want to lead into that in a really cool way!**

**And if no one is reading this because I'm such a twat, I deserve the hate.**

**Review (if you want) and enjoy the rest of the story!**


	14. Released

The team of six strolled towards the indoor training arena. Beast Boy, glad to have his girl safe and sound once again, and Aria, glad that her boy was back to normal and there to stay, walked hand in hand. Beast Boy wasn't about to let her go again without a fight and Aria wasn't about to leave again anytime soon. Not if she could help it, at least.

Aria raised her free hand to her neck and gently traced the triangle with her index finger. She let her eyelids drift shut and let Beast Boy guide her as her thoughts raced.

'I'm not like them.' She silently told herself. 'I am good. Different. T-There's no way I can be...' Aria inhaled through her nose and reopened her eyes. She grabbed some of her hair and nonchalantly pulled it over her shoulder, to conceal the mark.

"Everything chill, girl?" Cyborg asked, noticing Aria's odd behavior. Aria blinked then smiled.

"You bet, Cy." She said with fake happiness. "Nothing to worry about, man."

"We're here." Robin said, breaking up the brief conversation.

They entered the large room, going towards the targets Aria was working on before. The damaged equipment was still on display as a trophy, to show Aria's work. When the group finally did stop, Aria was in front of them, a whole new kind of determination in her heart. She was going to prove something to everyone. She was not weak. She did not need pity.

Aria tilted her head to the right. _Crack. _Then to the left. _Crack. _She meant business. Aria narrowed her eyes at the artificial prey in the center before her and stuck out her right hand, palm up. She cleared her throat before swinging her arm, sending a huge wave of air currents that sliced through all the remaining targets, cutting them all in half.

Aria didn't break position or even wait for a reaction from her teammates. She immediately swung her arm again, slicing the half of the target that still remained into a fourth. Then an eighth. Until they were too small to cut anymore. When she was done, Aria didn't have a single drop of sweat on the brow and her breathing was even, as if she'd done nothing.

"Wow." Was the only comment that dare come from the audience.

"Good job, Aria." Robin complimented after an awkward silence. Aria didn't acknowledge him, she only stared, more like glared, at her work. "How are your wrists? Do they hurt at all?"

Aria shook her head, silent for the moment. She inhaled deeply as her hair started to curl, as if there was a wind that was only hitting her, but that was very, very possible. Aria pushed her long sleeves up to her elbows and saw something that wasn't there before. It was another small, black triangle. Aria's eyes widened as her scrambled to pull her sleeves back down.

"Are you alright?" Starfire asked, floating towards Aria.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine." Aria answered quickly. "I think I need some air." She flew out of the room, not waiting for any response.

She flew at her top speed down the hallway, until she reached a door. The same door she used that morning. She swung the door open and soared up the stairs. When she made it outside, on the roof, Aria gasped for oxygen. She felt as though a ton of bricks were lifted off of her.

"I'm not like you." She whispered, still panting. "I. Am. Not. Like. You!" She cried.

She grabbed wads of her hair, not sure what she was doing. She wanted out. She wanted out of everything. She wished she was never born and she wished she could run away. She couldn't. She knew she couldn't. It was too late for her. She had bonds, friends, family, love. There was no going back for her.

"Not like who?" A voice asked. Aria spun around and saw someone she never wanted to see. "Not like me?" Red X asked, sounding hurt.

"W-What are you doing here?" Aria gasped, backing away. "You b-better get out of here b-before-"

"Before what?" Diamond asked, swooping in next to Red X. "Before your little boyfriend comes in and saves the day?" Another voice laughed maniacally.

"In case you haven't noticed, sweetheart, there's no one up here, but us." Silhouette snickered. "And nobody even knows where you are."

Aria sprinted for the door, only to have it blocked off by the silent partner, Sonic Boom. Aria couldn't stop herself and collided right into the strong frame of his body. Aria fell back, scooting away from the man she had just run into.

"Aria, Aria, Aria." Red X sighed. "When are you going to learn that we can always find you? That we know where you are? That we never give up?"

Aria stood up and turned around to see her current situation. She was surrounded by four people who were trying to get her to join their group. She could stand and fight, but she wouldn't win. Their skills are too many and she is badly outnumbered. She could try to fly away, but her capture would be inevitable. All she could do was stand still.

"Listen, doll, things would be a lot simpler if you seal your fate." Diamond said, sifting bright pink glitter in her hands. "So, let's just wrap things up and turn bad, huh? Right? Everyone good with that plan? Great!"

"You don't understand." Aria shook her head. "None of you get it! I'm not bad! I'm not even close! I-"

"We know, we know." Silhouette interrupted, annoyed. "You're still sticking to your little good girl character. I respect that... Okay, I don't. I think it's a ridiculous waste of time. Be bad! What's the harm? Aside from the obvious harm to others, I mean. We all know that's your true color. You weren't cut out for the good life."

Aria snapped her head in Silhouette's direction. Silhouette staggered backwards from what she saw. Aria's grey eyes were now black, entirely. The air around them was thrashing wildly. Aria turned her body towards the dark angel.

"You didn't let me finish. I'm not bad. Really, I'm not." Aria said. She turned to the rest of the group.

She spread her arms open, accepting the unavoidable. The sleeves on her shirt ripped from the seam and her shirt slowly began to fade into black. Her acid washed jeans began to turn into a dark grey shade as the denim began to rip off her body until they became very short shorts. Aria's blue sneakers became black and they grew up to her knee. That wasn't the final transformation. Aria now had ink sleeves of black characters on her arms.

"You don't know the half of it!" Aria screamed over the now howling wind. "I'm not bad, but I'm not good! I am EVIL!"

Aria ripped the mask off of her face to reveal a shocking sight. Aria's black eyes had black rings around them. With this new image, Aria looked almost demonic. She threw the mask on the ground and laughed.

"Surprised?" She mused like a lunatic. "I'm sure you are! If only you'd listened to me! Fools! I come from an evil family, I was bred to destroy! I had to leave my family because I refused to be one of them. A _killer. _I tried to tell you, but no one listens!" Aria laughed again as the wind picked up.

"Aria?" Red X sounded genuinely concerned for once in his life. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Aria laughed. "I've never felt better in my entire existence! You can't feel the power, but would you like to see it?"

Aria didn't wait for an answer as she raised her arms above her head and held her palms up. In her small, pale hands, she commanded the winds to swirl around as a mini cyclone in her hands. Aria smiled at the little thing.

"Isn't it wonderful?" She asked herself more than anyone else. She watched as the small twister ran up and down the length of her arm. "And to think, I can control them. I can make them as big or as small as I please and no one can have any say in it."

Aria fell silent and the wind died down slightly. Only slightly. Diamond began to walked towards Aria, but when Aria caught a glimpse of her, she smacked Diamond with a bolt of air, making her skid across the rooftop.

"But it's not enough." Aria went on as if she'd done nothing at all. "It's one thing to be known, but it's another to be feared."

Aria widened her hands, which expanded the size of the tornado. She let it loose on the roof as she jumped on top of it, willing it around like a chariot.

"Some ask whether it's better to be feared or loved." Aria called down to the terrified four. "I say feared! Would anyone care to disagree with me!?"

"Aria! Stop!" None of the cowering wrong doers said this. Aria turned around to face her own team. "That's enough!" Raven was shouting.

"Enough is never enough in this world today!" Aria screamed at her. "Leave me alone and stay out of my way!"

Aria turned her back on the group. Raven attempted to get a hold of Aria with her magic, but all she managed to do was get thrown back from the force of the wind. The team gasped at Aria's mercilessness. Robin looked around the rooftop and found the Trio and Red X cowering in fear. Robin sprinted over to them as fast as he could. When he got there, the group was prepared for all hell.

"What did you do to her!?" Robin demanded to know. "Before you all showed up, she was..._nothing _like this! What did you-"

"They didn't do anything to me." Aria's voiced called. Robin turned around, mouth agape. "This is me. My true colors. I thought about joining them and being bad, just like they wanted me to. But then, I remembered something...I'm in a whole other league of _bad._"

"Aria! Friend! Please, stop this!" Starfire pleaded, flying up and hovering next to the girl she thought was her friend. "We can help you, friend."

"Friend?" Aria growled. "I never had any."

"Titans! GO!" Robin called, making the first attack before Aria could.

Starfire hesitated, thinking she saw something different in Aria's black eyes. That was a fatal mistake. Aria raised her hand and used air currents to force Starfire away from her. The size of the tornado she was on top of increased as she did this. Cyborg drew out his laser cannon and aimed, only to be confronted face-to-face with Aria. She placed her face directly in front of the cannon, ensuring that if he fired, she would die on the spot.

"C'mon, girl. Don't make me do this." Cyborg begged. Aria remained silent as a smirk grew across her face.

Aria grabbed Cyborg's arm and threw him across the roof and through the funnel. The next person to confront her was Robin, who used a combination of jabs and kicks to try to subdue her, but they were all thwarted by Aria's speed and agility. Robin eventually landed himself in a stalemate, where both of his fists were trapped in Aria's grasp. Her strength was greater than that of Robin's, but she was merely humoring him at this point.

"Why are you doing this, Aria?" Robin asked.

"Why not?" Aria chuckled.

"This isn't good."

"You don't say? Isn't that the point?"

"People are going to get hurt!"

"Tell me how I care."

"I know you're just saying that. Think about us! Your friends! Your team! Beast Boy!"

"Who?" Aria mocked. "What friends? What team? What Beast Boy? All these things are dead to me."

Aria, having quite enough of all the chatter, push Robin back until he hit a wall and fell to his knees. Aria smirked at her handy work, when she was pounced on from behind. After rolling over twice, Aria saw that she was pinned to the ground by a green bear. Although, momentarily stunned, Aria was still able to comprehend who was on top of her. He quickly phased into his regular form. Beast Boy had her pinned, al the while, the typhoon was growing by the second.

"Aria, cut it out!" Beast Boy yelled at her. "This is messed up! Why are you acting like such a jerk!?"

"I'm not a jerk, you idiot!" Aria screamed at him. She could have gotten up at any moment, but something in her body told her not to move. "Haven't you been listening!? I was born this way! Evil! Rotten to the core! I was lying to myself when I said I was a good girl! There is nothing that can change-" Aria was cut off when Beast Boy smacked her lips right onto hers.

Aria's muscles tightened, but immediately relaxed and she found herself kissing him back, with a passion. Beast Boy rested his entire body on Aria's and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Beast Boy?" She asked when she pushed him away. "What's happening?" Beast Boy looked into Aria's eyes and found that they were back to their beautiful shade of grey.

"Aria! You're back!" Beast Boy nestled into her for a brief moment. "Don't scared me like that!" He was grinning from ear to pointy ear.

"Uh, guys! We have a bigger problem on our hands!" Cyborg called, bringing the lovebirds back to Earth.

Grinding noises filled the air. A metal on metal, earsplitting type of sound. The monster of a storm was almost double the size of the entire Titans' tower. Aria gasped at her creation, knowing she lost control of herself. Beast Boy stood up and helped Aria to her feet as well. The two ran to catch up with Raven.

"Can you stop it?" Beast Boy asked, panicked. Raven shook her head.

"I think I broke my wrist." She informed them. "I can't help at all." Aria looked at Raven's arm and gasped. It was black and blue from severe bruising.

"I am so sorry! This is all my fault!" Aria wailed over the noise.

"We need to evacuate the city." Robin said. "Live are at stake, here! We need to get moving!"

Everyone nodded and the started heading off in the direction of the city. All of them but one girl with curly, pearl white hair.

"Not if I can help it." She said to no one in particular.

Aria calmly walked into the eye of the storm- the center. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She clapped her hands together and reopened her eyes. They started fogging up, just like they did when Sonic Boom was toying with the group's minds.

"Aria!? What are you doing!?" Beast Boy shouted. "We have to get out of here!"

Aria ignored him as she tilted her head up, until she was looking at the sky. Aria touched the part of her wrist where the triangle was- her family's sacred crest- and applied pressure to it. She gasped as the entire tornado began to cave in on her, the air sneaking its way back into the palm of her hands. Bottom line- she was absorbing what she created so it wouldn't hurt anyone else.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cyclone, Beast Boy was flipping out.

"Raven! What's going on in there!?" He demanded. "What is she doing!?"

"I think she's..." Raven narrowed her eyes. "Reversing the damage she's caused." Beast Boy blinked.

"Is that possible?" Robin asked and Raven nodded.

"It's like the opposite of a self destruct button. She is using the opposite technique that she used in creating it so she can destroy it." Raven quickly explained.

"Will it hurt her? Is she going to be okay?"

Raven looked at him, then at Beast Boy, then her eyes landed back on where Aria was. She didn't know what would happen to Aria in the long run, but these type of things usually came with a price.

Back inside the funnel, Aria was having an awful time. It burned her hands as she absorbed all that she created and it took a lot out of her. She didn't stop, though. No matter how painful or tiring it was. If she was getting out of this world, she wanted to be known for something good. Something life-saving. Not evil. Not life-threatening.

Aria let out a scream of agony as the last bit of the tornado slipped its way into her palm, leaving the rooftop clear of any sign of storm. The sky had dark clouds, something that Aria didn't do and had no control over. It was supposed to rain today. Aria was panting as she looked down at her hands. They were blistered from the friction. She looked up at her team and made a small smile before collapsing to the ground.

"Aria!" Beast Boy was at her side in an instant. "Aria! Talk to me!"

"Beat..." Aria wasn't even able to finish her thought. She coughed and red liquid came spewing out. Blood.

"No! No!" Beast Boy looked up at Raven. "Do something!"

"I'll have to heal myself first. It could take some time." Raven said, already fearing the end.

"Just hurry!" Beast Boy yelled. He looked back at Aria, tears stinging his eyes. "Aria, stay with me. Please."

"It's okay..." She whispered, her eyelids growing heavy.

"No! Don't you dare close those eyes on me! Don't you dare!" Beast Boy begged. "Don't leave me."

Aria's head was in his lap and Beast Boy was gripping her shoulders.

"To right what's wrong, in a time of pain,

One must leave, never to come back again.

To fix what's broken and stop the hit,

One must cease to exist." Aria quoted, in a voice that sounded different from what it was a moment ago.

"No... Please, no." Beast Boy wept. "This can't be it for us." Aria open her eyes, tired, and smiled.

"The end is never final. It just seems that way, my love." Aria whispered with all the strength she had left. "Grant a dying girl her last wish."

Beast Boy, tears streaming freely down his cheeks, leaned down and gave Aria a final kiss. A token of their love. Beast Boy pulled away and saw the Aria's face was relaxed and her chest was still. She was gone. Beast Boy sobbed and collapsed on top of her, refusing to let her go, even if she was already gone.

"Beast Boy." Robin put a hand on his shoulder. "She's gone. Let her go."

Thunder cracked and the sky began to release water in the form of a drizzle. Beast Boy sat up, looking at Aria's face. A face he'll never feel the warmth of again. The face he'll never kiss again. The face he loved. Beast Boy wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and stood up, carrying Aria's lifeless body in his arms.

****One Week Later****

The funeral was today. It had only bee a week since Aria died, since the Trio and Red X disappeared for good, since hundreds of lives were spared in exchange for another. Aria made the ultimate sacrifice to save countless others. Would a truly evil person do that? Would a truly evil person even consider sparing the lives of the innocent? That's doubtful.

Beast Boy was standing on the roof, looking at the sunset. He had spent the last week sleeping in Aria's bed, trying so very hard not to let go of her. Trying hard not to forget her. He breathed in the salt water air, unsure if he was really ready to finally say goodbye. A slight breeze combed through his hair, the way Aria used to when they were lying in bed together. He sighed and turned around to head back when something caught his eye.

Something that was bright in the light and looked very familiar. He walked over to it, wind gently hitting against his black suit. When he finally made his way across the rooftop, he gasped when he realized what it was. They hadn't even thought about looking for it in the past week- they were too busy making arrangements. It was her mask. Beast Boy picked up it and stared at it, eyes welling up all over again.

"Hey now." A voice called. Beast Boy started and looked over his shoulder. "Enough of that, BB."

"Who's there?" He asked, the voice was familiar, but it was impossible.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what I sound like already." Beast Boy looked dead ahead and saw her. Aria, in her new state, was floating right in front of him.

"A-Aria?" He asked. She smiled at him.

"The end is never final." She repeated. "It just seems that way, my love."

"Aria." Beast Boy smiled. Hope was building up in his chest. "You're here. But you're-"

"Dead. I'm not alive, I'm just here. I'll always be with you, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy reached out to touch her, but his hand fell through her body. His eyes gained a glint of sadness.

"Now, now." Aria said, picking up on his emotions. "Don't be like that. I'm always going to be around. I'll watch over you, protect you. I will always be here. Whenever the winds blows, that's me, letting you know I'm here."

"So you were the one..." He ran his fingers through his hair and she nodded.

"Yes. But just because I'm here, doesn't mean you can give up on love entirely. You'll fall in love again, no matter what and I'll still have you in my heart." Aria said sweetly.

"But I don't want you to go." Beast Boy sniffled.

"I'm not gone." Aria said. "Remember me whenever you see this."

Aria pointed at the mask that was still in Beast Boy's hand. He looked at it and tightened his grip around it.

"It's your to keep. I don't need it anymore." Aria was right. The rings around her eyes were gone and the grey eyes were shining. "Remember me, Beast Boy. I love you, for forever and always."

Aria leaned down and kissed the center of Beast Boy's forehead before disappearing into the light, leaving nothing behind but the sweet breeze. Beast Boy blinked, deciding whether or not what he just saw was real, when the wind weaved its way through his hair again. He smiled and looked down at the white mask in his grasp.

"I love you too, Aria." He said as he headed for the door. "For forever and always."

* * *

**Alright, who was expecting that? No one? Awesome! If you are extremely mad at me, sorry!**

**Listen, there may or may not be a sequel, so bear with me, guys! In the long run, I hope you all enjoyed the story while it last and thank you so much for all your support!**

**This is the final chapter of The Girl In The Mask.**


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